Two footballing giants in South Africa will collide this weekend in the MTN8 final when Mamelodi Sundowns tangle with Orlando pirates on Saturday night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. For Sundowns, they head into this showpiece looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 2021.
The journey to reaching the final was a rollercoaster for Bafana Ba Style but the highlight has to be the two-legged semifinal round. Trailing at home in the first leg, a resilient Masandawana side managed to overturn the result in the second leg when they paid Lamontville Golden Arrows a visit in KwaZulu-Natal. They walked away with a qualification to the final for the first time since 2023.
For coach Miguel Cardoso, this will be his first domestic cup final since holding the fort in Chloorkop and the Portuguese tactician has expressed his joy to be playing his first domestic cup final in Brazilians colours. Furthermore, he looked ahead to the game, saying he expects a titanic tussle of a match, one that will be exciting for football lovers.
“We know the responsibility of a match like this. We don’t take that away and we want to do well. For some time, myself and the coaching staff, we have never played in a domestic cup final. So, it’s obviously an important moment for us as well. But for us, it’s just the next match,” he said.
“We will, however, go to the game with good intentions and commitment. We understand what is at stake and we would like to continue the season in the best way possible. We’ll take nothing for granted.”
Bafana Ba Styled have overachieved under coach Miguel, having already won a silverware this season. The aim is to win as many finals as possible this season and having an opportunity to win their second silver piece early in the season, is something coach Miguel and his men wish for.
Downs and Pirates have taken a break from their tussled league title race to focus on the biggest showdown of the weekend as they contend for the first domestic silverware this season. While aware of how tough of a rival the Soweto-based side is, coach Miguel backs his side to be the better side on the day.
“We are very observant of everything. It means that we’ll have to prepare ourselves in detail. It will be a very high-level match, the same level as the Champions League because Orlando Pirates are a high-level side. They are full of quality players. Both teams are in good shape but whatever happens on Saturday will not speak for the season. Let’s hope the best team wins and let’s hope Sundowns is the best team on the day,” the coach concluded.
Mamelodi Sundowns will do clash with Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 crunch final on Saturday night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Kick-off for the mouthwatering fixture has been set for 18H00, live on SuperSport TV and SABC Sport.
