Johannesburg — Monnapule Saleng was the hero for Orlando Pirates as he scored a second-half brace and bagged an assist to drag his team to the final of the MTN8.
At a sold-out Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, the Bucs beat Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 to win the semi-final tie by the same tally on aggregate.
That victory meant that the Buccaneers will face either AmaZulu or Kaizer Chiefs in the final on November 5 as the two teams will meet on Sunday.
As things stand, Pirates are one win away from ending their trophy drought – something that could change the opinion of their coaching department.
Spaniard coach Jose Riveiro wasn’t a fan favourite when he arrived on our shores in winter, with many calling him a plumber owing to his track record.
But after today’s win over Sundowns, he could go down as a “Messiah” given that he’s slowly showing that he has the players’ trust after such displays.
However, Riveiro has Saleng and Kermit Eramus to thank after their two wins in a row as they snapped a winless run against Golden Arrows midweek.
So with that win, Pirates came into this match high on confidence, as they wanted to carry on with their impressive exploits from the first leg.
But they had to make sure that they fired from the outset if they were going to win, while their hopes were pinned on striker Kermit Erasmus up front.
And he did not disappoint. Erasmus came back to haunt his former side in the first 10 minutes, heading home from close-range after some lovely work by Saleng.
Pirates’ quick start annihilated Sundowns’ exploits in the early stages of the game, as they had a structure but lacked penetration in the Bucs’ final third.
From there on, the baton was handed over to Sundowns’ trio — Gaston Sirino, Themba Zwane and Marcelo Allende — to find the goals after Peter Shalulile's injury.
But that wasn’t going to be easy. The trio are not the quickest off the blocks, while Pirates defended with a back-five as Miguel Timm helped out.
Frustrations took their toll on Downs as Sirino and senior coach Steve Komphela were both cautioned for dissent by referee Thando Ndzandzeka.
Pirates were smart. Knowing that Downs didn’t have a box-to-box striker, they allowed them to have the ball, looking to catch them on a break.
Saleng engineered that counter-attacking football, using his pace and trickery to trouble the Brazilian’s defence, who were napping at times.
But, except for the opening goal, there weren’t clear chances that were created by either side, as Pirates went into the break with the lead.
Under pressure to score, Sundowns had already completed more than three substitutions by the 65th minute, while Pirates chose a defensive approach.
But even that change of approach didn’t change Pirates’ attacking prowess, with Saleng drilling home his second of the game from close-range.
The lanky winger brought the house down in fine style as a thunderbolt kissed the roof as he sent Pirates to the final and Sundowns packing later on.
IOL Sport