The Buccaneers thwacks Mamelodi Sundowns to retain the Nedbank Cup title

Orlando Pirates players celebrating their victory after walloping Sundowns.

In the last match of the 2023/24 season for both Sundowns and Pirates, the Buccaneers successfully defended the Nedbank Cup crown as they defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 2 – 1 at the Mbombela stadium on Saturday.

Mamelodi Sundowns made a strong start and went on the offensive play. The Brazilians capitalized on their chances until Deon Hotto fouled Khuliso Mudau inside the 18-yard box and a penalty was awarded to Sundowns in the first six minutes of the match. Lucas Ribeiro took the penalty, but his effort was impressively saved by Sipho Chaine. The pace of the game slowed down as both teams became more at ease. Orlando Pirates started to defend as well as apply pressure, but the Brazilians were dominating with the ball possession. The score remained tied at 0 – 0 when the two teams went into the halftime break.

After the second half commenced, it didn’t take the Brazilians too long to score a spectacular goal by Themba Zwane (54 minutes). Orlando Pirates did not lose their determination despite being behind. The Buccaneers went on the offensive play until Aubrey Modiba fouled Patrick Maswanganyi inside the box and a penalty was given to Pirates. Maswanganyi scored a wonderful goal that sent Ronwen Williams diving the wrong way to save the ball (71 minutes). With 20 minutes of normal time remaining, the two teams were tied and the Soweto team was clearly still in the game.

In the last minutes of normal time, both teams pushed to find the winning goal but remained tied. With four extra minutes added to the clock, Pirates were given a free-kick in the last moments of stoppage time. Orlando Pirates youngster, Relebohile Mofokeng gained possession of the ball and stole the show by scoring a spectacular goal (93 minutes). The Buccaneers took the lead and this left Sundowns with very little time to adjust the score.

Orlando Pirates won the prestigious Nedbank Cup once again and the Mbombela stadium was filled with exuberance as the final whistle blew.