Orlando Pirates retain MTN8 crown through Sipho Chaine's gifted hands

Sipho Chaine redeemed himself and gifted Orlando Pirates the MTN8 trophy in front of a strong Buccaneers crowd at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The Pirates’ goalkeeper saved three penalties to help his side beat Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 in penalties after the match ended goalless in two hours of compelling football. Chaine’s performance ensured that the much-maligned goalkeeper endears himself to the Pirates’ faithful, and more importantly played a key role in the Soweto giant retaining the trophy they won here last season.

Chaine is fully not trusted by the club’s supporters due to his erratic nature, and in the Buccaneers’ last penalty shootouts against Jwaneng Galaxy, coach Jose Riveiro replaced him with Richard Ofori in the dying minutes of that clash. Ofori failed to save a single penalty as the Sea Robbers were bundled out of the CAF Champions League.

Chaine made sure that never happens again, saving three of the four penalties he faced.

In his message of welcome to the thousands of supporters who would be descending to Durban for this final, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, boasted on Thursday that no city in South Africa manages load shedding better than them. And on Saturday, there were no scheduled blackouts in major parts of the city.

If there was load shedding, the energy the sold-out crowd created here would have powered the city. The only element that dampened the mood was the wind, robbing them of a spectacle between two teams that go pound-for-pound. Instead of an end-to-end final, the supporters were treated to a cautious and highly tactical encounter that livened up as it stretched to two hours with nothing separating these two teams. 

The wind favoured Pirates in the first half, but the Buccaneers