ROGER DE SA’S CUP FINAL MISERY

ORLANDO Pirates coach Roger de Sa has lost four of the five cup finals he has been involved in as a coach. He has won just one trophy, the 2010 Nedbank Cup win over AmaZulu at FNB Stadium before the World Cup kick-off – he was the Bidvest Wits head coach at the time. Below are the cup finals De Sa has lost.

2005 Absa Cup SuperSport United 1, Wits University 0 Probably his worst season as a coach in the top flight, De Sa led already relegated Wits University to the Absa Cup final against SuperSport United, coached by Pitso Mosimane at the time. Lanky striker Lungisani Ndlela netted the only goal as Matsatsantsa denied De Sa any sort of consolation prize after their fate in the league had already been sealed.

2011 Telkom Knockout final Bidvest Wits 1, Orlando Pirates 3 A few weeks after thrashing the Buccaneers 3-0 in the league, many would have forgiven the Clever Boys thinking they would give Julio Leal’s Pirates another footballing lesson. But Wits were simply outclassed by an rampant Pirates side that scored goals through Thulasizwe Mbuyane, Daine Klate and Isaac Chansa. Sifiso Myeni, now a Pirates player, got the only goal for Wits. The match is best remembered for De Sa’s heated squabble with Benni McCarthy, the former Pirates striker who has now hung up his boots, in the tunnel after the game. 2013 MTN8 Platinum Stars 1, Orlando Pirates 1

Stars win 3-1 on penalties After failing to reach a final of two knockout competitions last year, De Sa guided the Buccaneers to the finale of this season’s first knockout competition, the MTN8. Seen as favourites because of their remarkable run in the CAF Champions League, Pirates were stunned when Malawian Robert Ng’ambi opened the scoring, but Bucs left-back Thabo Matlaba kept their hopes alive when he drilled home a beauty which stretched the game to extra-time and eventually penalties. Stars held their nerve in the shoot-out to add to De Sa’s cup final woes.

2013 CAF Champions League

First leg Orlando Pirates 1, Al Ahly 1

Second leg Al Ahly 2, Orlando Pirates 0 Al Ahly win 3-1 on aggregate A first half blunder by defender Ayanda Gcaba in the first leg and missed chances in the second meeting cost De Sa what would have been the biggest prize in his coaching career. Pirates did well to get to the final in which South African clubs had often been criticised for not taking it seriously, but when it mattered most, they choked as their African dream came to a depressing end. Mohamed Aboutrika caused most of the pain, scoring a goal in each leg to seal Al Ahly’s eighth Champions League title – an unprecedenteddented feat.