Pirates oozed class as they dumped Cape Town City on the also-rans scrapheap with a 3-1 aggregate triumph after home and away semi-final legs.
Stellenbosch sent the star-studded Mamelodi Sundowns side packing with a 2-0 aggregate victory after winning the semi-final first and second legs by 1-0 margins.
We look at five takeaways from the weekend’s local football action.
Jose Riveiro is a step nearer to another cup conquest
Orlando Pirates gaffer Riveiro has enjoyed remarkable success in domestic cup competitions since arriving in Mzansi at the start of the 2022/23 season. After Pirates emerged 3-1 aggregate winners over Cape Town City on Saturday, Riveiro reached a third successive MTN8 final. If Pirates win, Spaniard Riveiro would have won an unprecedented third MTN8 title in a row. This will be Riveiro’s fifth final in six competitions over three seasons.
Sundowns hit by goal drought
It is unthinkable that the great Sundowns, the undisputed ‘Kings of Mzansi football’, could go three games without scoring. Since the start of the MTN8 competition Sundowns have managed one win in three matches. The win came in the quarter-final round when the lowly Polokwane City scored an own goal in extra time. In the semi-final first Sundowns suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Stellenbosch, who have never defeated the Brazilians twice in a season.
A matter of time before Bafana come calling for Mabasa and Sesane
In past seasons, Sundowns had around eight players in the national squad but only six in the latest selection. Pirates usually have about three or four caps, but this time they have five players. Tshegofatso Mabasa, the red-hot striker, and defender Thabiso Sesane, who has been rock solid, have not won Hugo Broos’ favour. Pirates coach Riveiro says both these players will advance their selection claims because they are playing regularly and he is pleased with their performances.
Hugo Broos continues to defy the odds
When announcing his squad for the Afcon qualifiers, national team coach Broos again touched on problems affecting Bafana’s performance. When clubs refuse to release players for the Cosafa Cup, Broos cannot field players he has identified as future Bafana players. This affects the depth of the national squad and even after Broos made several appeals, the PSL has not responded. Very often Broos has had to play matches and tournaments with hardly any time to prepare
Home or away, Stellenbosch FC are giant-killers
Stellenbosch FC shrugged off the disappointment of losing home-ground advantage after their Winelands home patch was declared “unsuitable” or unavailable. Last month, they played a home tie in the CAF Confed Cup preliminary rounds in Durban because heavy rains rendered the surface unplayable. On Saturday, they had an MTN8 home tie but their pitch was used for the Currie Cup between Western Province and Pumas. Stellenbosch played top dogs Sundowns in Pretoria and Durban in successive weeks and remarkably kept clean sheets to finish with a 2-0 aggregate.