Tico-Tico names controversial Kaizer Chiefs winner as best of his 104 PSL goals

Manuel ‘Tico-Tico’ Bucuane says his controversial tap-in against Kaizer Chiefs in the 2001/02 Coca-Cola Cup final remains the best of the 104 goals he scored in the Premier Soccer League.

The former Mozambique striker, who ranks comfortably among the PSL’s top 10 all-time leading scorers, helped Jomo Cosmos claim a 1-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in a final that carried added significance after their heavy defeat in the same fixture the previous year.

Bucuane joined Jomo Cosmos after the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations and established himself as one of the most prolific forwards in PSL history. He later played for SuperSport United, Orlando Pirates and Maritzburg United, while also winning 94 caps for Mozambique, known as the Mambas.

With the PSL celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, Bucuane’s contribution remains a significant part of the league’s history. He says two of his goals came before the competition officially began.

“I scored 104 in the PSL, with an additional two coming just before the PSL was launched. Remember, between the end of the AFCON and the start of the PSL season, there was this big gap,” explains the softly-spoken Bucuane, speaking to KickOff from his home country on Friday evening.

“So, it’s a lot of goals, and they bring different memories and different feelings, and were scored in different competitions. But I’d say the best was the one in the 2001/02 Coca-Cola Cup final against Kaizer Chiefs when we beat them 1-0. This was after they beat us 5-0 in the previous final of the same competition.

“I know it was a very controversial goal.

“For us who were in the stadium, we never understood there was [an] offside, and only those watching from home realised it. It was a very beautiful goal, [happened] very quick, and also it was a winner. It was a revenge game, a revenge goal. For us, that was massive.

“I remember there was a lot of fighting that happened towards the end of the game with Chiefs fans throwing stuff onto the field. The referee had to stop the game for a while,” adds the man who turns 53 on 16 August.

Bucuane recalls only the final stages of the move that produced the decisive goal. He says the speed of the cross and his movement into the penalty area meant the offside went unnoticed by those inside the stadium.

“I can only recall the last part of it. A ball was played to ‘Terminator’ [Dikgang Mabalane] on the right and he then went for a cross, a very hard cross onto the first pole. I beat the defender to the ball and connected with it very fast. That’s why no one realised I was a bit advanced. It was a tap-in, actually.”

The match was also framed by the events of the previous season, when Amakhosi defeated Jomo Sono’s side 5-0 in one of the most one-sided finals of the PSL era. Jabu Pule, now known as Jabu Mahlangu, was a key figure in that victory and repeatedly caused problems for the Jomo Cosmos defence.

Bucuane believes the instincts that made him such a consistent goalscorer were natural, although he insists hard work was equally important.

“That’s what Jomo used to tell us.

“I had this instinct of being in the right place at the right time. I could anticipate what was going to happen. But I practised my finishing a lot because you really have to practicse after everyone is gone [from training]. Most times, the coach won’t have time to focus on the strikers, so you have to take that initiative.”