Orlando Pirates beat Black Leopards in Nedbank Cup Final
Bucs realise Treble dream
Posted: May 28 2011
Orlando Pirates won the 2011 Nedbank Cup at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday afternoon, coming from behind to beat Black Leopards 3-1 thanks to goals from Isaac Chansa and a Thulasizwe Mbuyane brace.
It is the Buccaneers’ first triumph in South Africa’s FA Cup since 1996 and sees them complete a treble of trophies, having also won the League and MTN8 in the 2010/11 season. They are the first team to achieve this feat in the PSL era.
As for Leopards, they followed in the footsteps of Mpumalanga Black Aces (2008) and University of Pretoria (2009) as First Division teams who lost in the Nedbank Cup Final against top-flight opposition.
Pirates started the stronger and dominated the first 20 minutes. However, the only clear-cut chance in the first half came from a mistake by Leopards defender Simphiwe Vezi, who handed Bongani Ndulula a close-range opportunity that was well saved by goalkeeper Azwindini Maphaha.
After that Leopards seemed to grow in confidence and looked threatening on the counter-attack. Robert Ng’ambi was the dangerman, while midfielder Raymond Monama also proved a handful and he created the best chance of the first 45 minutes by gliding past two challenges before unselfishly feeding Ng’ambi, who failed to beat Senzo Meyiwa.
Nine minutes after the interval, Leopards stunned Bucs by taking the lead. Mongezi Bobe’s free-kick took a couple of deflections, the last off centre-back Rooi Mahamutsa, and found its way into the back of the net.
The goal stunned Pirates into life and they began to overrun Leopards’ midfield, who seemed to have exhausted themselves after their first-half efforts. An equaliser seemed inevitable and it arrived in the 72nd minute, with Isaac Chansa sweeping the ball home after good set-up play by Mbuyane.
Just three minutes later the turnaround was complete as Mbuyane put Pirates ahead for the first time., heading home from close range after reacting quickest to a looping Andile Jali cross that rebounded off the far post.
Mbuyane added a beautifully-taken goal to make it 3-1 in the 89th minute, thought not before Leopards’ day went from bad to worse when Kwena was shown a straight red card for dissent toward referee Harry Lekitlane.
Black Leopards (0) 1 (Mahamutsa og 54’)
Orlando Pirates (0) 3 (Chansa 72’, Mbuyane 75’ 89’)
Leopards: (4-2-3-1) Maphaha; Kwena, Vezi, Mabusela, Tshabalala; Mabunda (Manaka 79’), Monama (Lungu 88’); Bobe, Ng’ambi, Masuku (Maake 82’); Ramagalela
Pirates: (4-2-3-1) Meyiwa; Jele, Johannes, Mahamutsa, Lekgwathi; Jali, Manyisa; Mbuyane, Chansa, Segolela (Ngobei 88’); Ndulula (Mayambela 62’)
: 2011-05-28 17:00
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