LIMPOPO- Orlando Pirates proceeded to the Nedbank Cup when they beat the Safa ABC Motsepe team, Dondol Stars in the quarter-final of the Nedbank Cup Keyona at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The teams played to a 1-all draw before going to a penalty shoot-out.
Pirates won 5-4 and will face Kaizer Chiefs in the semi-final next month.
Dondol were hoping to claim a third top-flight scalp (after wins over SuperSport United and AmaZulu in the two previous rounds), but they fell just short of taking down Pirates. Both sides played attacking football in the first half, resulting in an entertaining match.
Dondol were led by their midfield linkman, Thabang Mnyembne. They raided the Pirates’ danger area continuously, but Lady Luck was not on their side. They tried to walk the ball into the net, but the Pirates’ defence was rock solid.
In the second half, Pirates introduced Kermit Erasmus, which changed little in terms of the match.
Both teams struggled to create clear chances: Pirates claimed the lead 55 minutes into the second half after Thembinkosi Lorch started a move from deep, combined with Erasmus and thumped home.
Dondol came up with an almost immediate response, as Tebogo Makungo ghosted past several defenders and headed home from a corner kick for 1-1 in the 57th minute.
Pirates looked the likelier scorers in the rest of regulation time, as Nkosinathi Sibisi hit the post and Bandile Shandu forced a great save from Stars goalkeeper, Sphamandla Gumede.
Pirates kept up the pressure through extra time, with Lorch notably missing a sitter, while Dondol almost scored a stunning last-gasp winner via Makungo from long range, but Sipho Chaine palmed over the crossbar to send the game to penalties.
