Orlando Pirates’ Nedbank Cup journey came to a dramatic end as they suffered a shock defeat to Casric Stars in their Round of 16 clash played at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday. It took a penalty shootout to decide the winner following a marathon contest which ended with a 0-0 scoreline after 120 minutes.
The result brought a premature end to the Buccaneers’ charge for an 11th title as they bowed out in the second round for the first time in four years, while their opponents secured a spot in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
Facing another lower league side in the early stages of this year’s competition, Pirates were eager to avoid a slip-up at home. They found themselves battling to find their feet in the opening quarter and had only a couple of wayward shots from range to show for their early dominance in possession.
The visitors were not entirely quiet in the opening exchanges, and could have edged ahead following a defensive lapse which allowed striker Fils Ndoh Moukete to have a shot at goal. The Cameroonian however failed to capitalise on the opportunity, sending his effort wide of the target.
It took 24 minutes for the game’s first shot on target, and it was produced by Relebohile Mofokeng who linked up with Patrick Maswanganyi before drawing a save from goalkeeper Gift Mthombeni with a well-struck shot from outside the box. The attacking momentum remained with the hosts, who sparked up another chance in the 31st minute when Tshepang Moremi’s cross from the right needed a touch from Andre de Jong, who could not find the necessary connection to turn the ball into the net.
Midfielder Makhehleni Makhaula followed up with another long-range attempt, but misplaced his effort as the Stars’ defence continued to keep Pirates at bay.
Following the second half restart, the hosts remained dominant in possession but were almost caught off guard in the 49th minute when Bafana Nana broke away on the right. The Stars winger went one-on-one with Sipho Chaine who displayed excellent reflexes to keep what looked like a goalbound shot out.
Most of the traffic in the second half was however directed towards The Believers’ goal as the Buccaneers continued to search for the opener. The breakthrough remained elusive despite numerous attempts at goal from the hosts with Mofokeng and Deon Hotto both misfiring after being afforded opportunities to get shots away. This was before Tshepang Moremi rattled the woodwork with a curler onto the crossbar late in injury time.
With no goals scored in 90 minutes, the contest had to continue for another 30. There was however no luck for either side in extra time as the desperate hunt for a winner failed to yield results.
It meant that the fixture would be decided through the lottery of penalties, and the shootout began with the hosts on the back foot as skipper Nkosinathi Sibisi misplaced the opening attempt. Stars did not err in response, with Siphamandla Mlilo putting them ahead before the two sides traded accurate kicks as Abdoulaye Mariko, Mofokeng and Appollis all kept Pirates in the contest.
A miss from Manqoba Ozoemena gave a glimmer of hope to the home crowd, but defender Mpho Chabatsane was not able to push his side towards a favourable position when he went wide with his effort. The drama continued as Mfundo Thikazi was denied by Chaine, sending the shootout into Sudden Death.
Replacement striker Yanela Mbuthuma made no mistake in a pressure situation as he placed the Buccaneers ahead, but that was the last of the positives with Nkosikhona Ndaba missing the next spot kick while the visitors held their nerve to record a famous upset.
Pirates XI: Chaine, Sibisi, Chabatsane, Van Rooyen (Sebelebele 91’), Hotto (Ndaba 78’), Makhaula (Mariko 84’), Maswanganyi (Appollis 62’), Nemtajela, Mofokeng, Moremi (Msendami 106’), De Jong (Mbuthuma 78’) .
SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.
