Orlando Pirates beat Royal 2-1 to advance to MTN8 semifinals

It wasn’t pretty but Orlando Pirates did enough to beat Royal AM 2-1 to go through to the semifinal stage of the MTN8 at the Chatsworth Stadium in Durban on Saturday.

The win will perhaps ignite some hope of silverware in a year in which the Soweto giants are celebrating their 85th anniversary.  

Pirates’ coach Jose Riveiro showed its intent to win this quarterfinal clash against Durban side Royal AM by starting with three strikers Vincent Pule, Eva Nga and Zakhele Lepasa upfront for the first time this season.

The move did not take long to pay off as Pule put the visitors in the lead just three minutes into the game after Royal failed to clear a loose ball near the danger area.

More chances to extend the lead were created but Pirates were wasteful, with Pule, Nga and Lepasa missing them as the home side continued to make as many errors in their own half.

That Pirates managed to increase the lead, ten minutes into the second half, was due to the gift they were given by Royal goalkeeper Xolani Ngcobo who couldn’t hold on to Thabiso Monyane’s harmless cross which he allowed to hit his face before it crossed the goal line.

Pirates’ poor concentration allowed Royal to reduce the score just a minute after taking a 2-0 lead, Royal’s winger Shaune Mogaila tapping in after Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori failed to hold on to a shot.

The last 35 minutes could have gone either way as both sides attacked with some vigour though it was the home side which got close on a few occasions to levelling matters.

Pirates’ midfielder Goodman Mosele was shown a red card in referee’s optional time for a brawl he was involved in after Bucs striker Kwame Peprah was fouled. 

This win doesn’t give a clear picture of how far Riveiro is with the reconstruction of the Bucs side which is yet to convince this season.

That Royal came close on many a time to embarrass Bucs shows that the Spanish coach still needs to fix a few areas before thinking he has a chance to win this trophy.

In the earlier match in Cape Town, AmaZulu FC advanced to semifinals after beating Cape Town City 2-1 with veteran striker Lehlohonolo Majoro giving Usuthu the winner in extra time after the game had ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Kaizer Chiefs will be looking to recover from their poor start to the season by beating Stellenbosch FC in Cape Town on Sunday in another quarterfinal match.

Amakhosi are in their seventh year without a trophy and new coach Arthur Zwane is under pressure to bring some stability after losing three of the first five matches in the DStv Premiership.   

Later on Sunday, defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns will host SuperSport United at the Tuks Stadium.

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