Sunday | November 6, 2022
Monnapule Saleng powered Orlando Pirates Football Club to the 2022 MTN8 Cup victory over AmaZulu FC at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday night.
In the arena packed to the rafters, the first half was characterised by physicality where players pulled and pushed against each other. Even so, Pirates managed to squeeze in the only goal of the game from a free-kick with 23 minutes on the clock from kickoff.
Considered on the left back of AmaZulu near the corner kick, Saleng bent the ball which sailed with spinning pace into the far post. Leaving AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa shooing the floating curler, mistaking it for drifting over the bar. No sooner had Mothwa ignored the cross with just an escort glimpse than he was picking the ball in the back of his own net. The Buccaneers went ahead and the MTN8 Cup final went to break 1-0 up.
But in the second half the game opened and as such got much better. In the forefront in performance perspective were AmaZulu seeing more of the ball and showing more aggression. After countless tries, Lehlohonolo Majoro came close in the 63rd minute to level the scores when his free header bounced off the crossbar. From there, Usuthu’s chances did not bear any cup-winning fruits.
On the other side, Pirates built and bolstered their defence to hold on to the slender lead until the tense match ended. Miguel Timm was given the man-of-the-match honours for his talisman-like display in the central nerve of the midfield.
When the final whistle blew, the Orlando Pirates players jumped and punched the fresh air with infectious joy, to the absolute delight of the fans in the stadium who had been roaring in song and dance throughout the entire affair. Usuthu players dropped to the turf in disappointment and their supporters in the stands were in utter melancholy as they watched their rowdy opponents drowning in merriment.
The crowning moment arrived with the handing over and hoisting of the MTN8 Cup in the Durban bright-night sky. The trophy was, as it has always been, accompanied by the cool R8 million prize money.
The Buccaneers are the reigning champions of the 2022/2023 campaign, unseating Mamelodi Sundowns FC they overcame in the semi-finals.