Maela feels honoured to have led Pirates to two trophies

After successfully clinching the Nedbank Cup, Orlando Pirates defender Innocent Maela feels privileged and honoured to have led the team to their second trophy of the season in his first stint as the captain of the club. 

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Maela, who missed out on the final of the MTN8 against AmaZulu FC earlier this season due to an injury, played the entire game as Pirates defeated Sekhukhune United 2-1 in the final of the Nedbank Cup at Loftus Versfeld Stadium last Saturday. 

“I feel very honoured to have been part of the team that won two cups this season. It’s a big honour for me because this happened with me as a captain. I feel very happy. This is a good achievement for the club and we have really worked hard to have done what we did this season,” said the Buccaneers captain.

“The guys gave their all and fought very hard to make sure that we deliver the trophy. This is a big achievement for the club. We also have to give credit to our technical team. The coaches have been preparing us so well throughout the season to make sure that we are able to compete. I am really happy with this (winning the cup). It’s so hard to express myself. This is a good feeling and I think we deserve everything that we have achieved.”

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Maela added that playing Sekhukhune in the final was very hard with the club having failed to beat them in the league this season. Babina Noko edged Pirates 2-0 in the first round of the season, before the teams played to a 1-1 draw in the second leg. 

“We knew that it was not going to be easy for us. We had to apply ourselves well and the good thing is that our preparations went really well. There was a lot of hard work done at training because we wanted to win more than everything.” 

The 30-years old Maela also gave thanks to Bucs supporters for having rallied behind them all season. The defender says all they have achieved is because of the support from the fans and they are hoping for more things next season.