After losing five consecutive Soweto derbies, Kaizer Chiefs turned the corner by beating Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final last year in May.
The cup win was Amakhosi‘s first trophy in 10 years. Almost 10 months later, the Glamour Boys are still celebrating that trophy, as it was the last meeting between the two teams.
The two teams face off once again in a league match, with Chiefs still holding bragging rights. Saturday’s sold-out affair promises to produce fireworks, especially given their heated derby in the Nedbank Cup final
How did Chiefs overcome Pirates to win the Nedbank Cup?
A week before the cup final, Pirates defeated Chiefs 2-1 in a league derby to complete another double over their rival. Although Amakhosi scored first, it was the Buccaneers who took charge and scored two goals to win the encounter.
If it wasn’t for the Bucs poor finishing, the Glamour Boys would have lost by three of four goals.
A week later, the two met again in the Nedbank Cup final. As expected, the Sea Robbers were favourites and were eager to win their sixth trophy in three seasons under Jose Riveiro.
The match saw Chiefs score via a penalty but Pirates hit back a few minutes later and started bossing the match. It felt like a repeat of the previous derby, except this time the Buccaneers didn’t have clear-cut opportunities.
They bossed the position and looked the better of the two teams heading into halftime and in the early phase of the second half.
As the game went on, it looked as if the two teams would be separated by penalties until Nasreddine Nabi made a tactical double substitute.
Ashley Du Preez and Mduduzi Shabalala were introduced with less than 20 minutes to go.
Fresh legs won it for Chiefs
In the final 15 minutes, the Buccaneers replaced injured Makhehlene Makhaula which then allowed Chiefs to penetrate the Bucs defence.
As Amakhosi attacked, it was evident that the Pirates defence was tired and lost focus, losing the ball cheaply in dangerous areas.
Pule Mmdoi hit the post with 13 minutes to go and on a normal day, that would have proved costly, but it was Amakhosi’s day.
Pirates failed to clear the ball and once again were caught in sixes and sevens as Chiefs duo combined well to find Yusuf Maart, who scored a first-time shot to beat Sipho Chaine.
The five minutes of madness saw the Glamour Boys bossing possession and turning the Buccaneers’ defence, which was rare.
Chiefs wanted the cup more than Pirates
The Buccaneers were shocked by the goal and did not look like coming back into the match despite 10-plus additional minutes remaining on the clock.