Orlando Pirates downed Stellenbosch with a 3-0 scoreline to secure a historic MTN8 four-peat at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday evening.
Tshepang Moremi’s brace and Tshegofatso Mabasa’s strike in the extra-time helped the Soweto giants claim their first trophy under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddoum, who took over from Jose Riveiro.
Ouaddou made two changes from the starting line-up of their previous match. He replaced the injured Patrick Maswanganyi with Sipho Mbule while Relebohile Mofokeng returned, taking the place of Oswin Appollis.
Meanwhile, Stellies opted to start Thato Khiba, Ibraheem Jabaar, and Khomotjo Lekoloane in place of Genino Palace, Sanele Barns, and Lehlohonolo Mojela.
The match began with both sides coming out full of energy, eager to get a quick foothold in the game. Thalente Mbatha and Mofokeng each had chances in the box, but neither could hit the target.
Moments later, Pirates began to dominate possession somewhat, creating several promising attacks as they searched for the opening goal. In the 13th minute, Mbatha unleashed a powerful long-range shot, which was saved by goalkeeper Sage Stephens.
The Cape Winelands side also made its own attacking attempts, yet they couldn’t seem to dismantle the solid defense of the Sea Robbers. The score was 0-0 at half-time.
The game resumed after half-time with the same players on the field, as neither team made any substitutions.
The deadlock was nearly broken in the 52nd minute when Evidence Makgopa got on the end of a chipped pass from Sihle Nduli. However, his effort was thwarted by a fantastic save from Sage Stephens, who kept the ball out of the net.
In the 61st minute, Ouaddou made an attack-minded substitution, taking off Mbule for Oswin Appollis. 15 minutes later, Deon Hotto was inches away from scoring, as his powerful effort sailed across the goalmouth.
After neither side managed to rattle the back of the net within the 90 minutes, the match went to extra-time with the score still 0-0 on the board. In the 92nd minute, the substitute Moremi finally scored for Ezimnyama Ngenkani, tapping in a cross from Appollis.
Stellenbosch responded with a substitution, replacing Mthetheleli Mthiyane with Langelihle Phili to add some spark up front. However, in the 103rd minute, Mabasa doubled the lead for Pirates, tapping in a square ball from the scorer of the opener, Moremi.
Steve Barker’s troops attempted to bounce back in the second half of the extra-time but the Gauteng side remained resolute at the back with captain Nkosinathi Sibisi brought in for Mofokeng to solidify the backline.
In the 111th minute, Moremi came back to seal the victory, slotting home his second goal of the match after a beautiful through pass from, once again, from Appollis.
