Orlando Pirates ease past Sekhukhune United to reach MTN8 final

Orlando Pirates secured their place in the MTN8 final with a 3-0 win over Sekhukhune United at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, completing a 4-0 aggregate victory in their semi-final.

The Soweto side had taken a 1-0 advantage into the second leg and controlled the contest from the outset on a sun-soaked late-winter afternoon in Orlando.

Pirates created five clear opportunities during the opening 30 minutes as they placed Sekhukhune under sustained pressure. Their dominance was eventually rewarded by two goals in a crucial two-minute spell before half-time.

Gamphani Lungu came closest to opening the scoring in the 27th minute. Unmarked in the middle of the penalty area, he met the ball with a header, but Sekhukhune goalkeeper Siyabonga Dladla reacted sharply to tip it over the crossbar.

Ntando Selepe then had another opportunity shortly afterwards, although his effort drifted narrowly wide of the post.

Pirates found the breakthrough in the 37th minute after Yanela Mbuthuma powered forward down the left. His determined run opened up the Sekhukhune defence and created space for Thapelo Mokobodi, who reached the resulting cross before his marker and calmly placed the ball into the corner of the net.

The hosts doubled their advantage moments later following a rapid counter-attack launched from a Sekhukhune corner. Lungu raced through on goal and found himself one-on-one with Dladla before confidently finishing past the goalkeeper.

Pirates continued to dictate the match and added a third goal in added time, with Kamogelo Sebelebele completing a convincing afternoon for the home side.

The result extends Pirates’ strong start to the campaign. They are also joint-top of the Betway Premiership standings with Mamelodi Sundowns, with both clubs having collected 10 points from their opening four matches.

Pirates’ latest win keeps their hopes of major silverware alive across all fronts and sends them into the final with considerable momentum.

They will discover their opponents on Sunday, when Mamelodi Sundowns face Golden Arrows in the other semi-final. The winner will meet Pirates in the final of the cup competition.

The match was played at Orlando Stadium, with the image credited to Phakamis Lensman/BackpagePix.