Mthethwa magic drives Pirates to Nedbank Cup final with thrilling win over Chiefs

At the FNB Stadium

Sandile Mthethwa's 113th minute header not only rescued Orlando Pirates from a second consecutive penalty Nedbank Cup penalty shootout, but snapped Kaizer Chiefs' growing hoodoo over them with a 2-1 win in a pulsating semi-final on Saturday.

Kermit Erasmus' 14th minute opener was cancelled out by Yusuf Maart's 79th minute leveller, but for once and in a derby of the highest stakes, Pirates kept their collective resolve to win their first Soweto derby in six attempts.

Unlike the dreary league encounters that Chiefs won 1-0, this game had energy, excitement, fisticuffs and everything needed to cook a derby delight.

The weather, which has been inclement all week, held and so did the pitch, which needed to be relaid after last week's Monster Jam event.

Barring one Chiefs supporter who stormed the field to taunt Sipho Chaine after the hosts equalised, the fans behaved.

They were given a 15-minute grace period to file in and they did so successfully.

Late-coming will continue to be an issue, but this was a derby that deserved a packed stadium and the players certainly didn't disappoint.

It was a first half of costly missed chances from the hosts and one that mattered for Pirates, with the Erasmus goal having its roots in a silky sequence of passes from Miguel Timm and Monnapule Saleng.

It was the latter who provided the cross-goal pass that was the assist, with Erasmus tapping in from close range.

His shut-up celebrations to the bulk of the Chiefs fans he celebrated in front was rather inflammatory and unnecessary from a clearly talented player, but one whose inconsistent body of work will forever open him up to criticism.

While there was a helter-skelter start to the game where both sides rushed to each other's