Orlando Pirates stopper Sipho Chaine outshines Ronwen Williams in semi-final thriller

Sipho Chaine once again proved he has a safe pair of hands, emerging as one of the heroes in Orlando Pirates’ march to the MTN8 final for the fourth time in a row on Saturday.

Pirates beat rivals Mamelodi Sundowns 4-1 on penalties in the semi-final, after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate over two legs.

The second leg was played in Atteridgeville on Saturday, where Iqraam Rayners opened the scoring for Sundowns before Kamogelo Sebelebele found the equaliser. Sebelebele, who also scored in the 1-1 draw in the first leg, bagged his second goal of the tie and claimed the Player of the Match award.

Chaine, however, had the final laugh. He saved Sundowns’ first two penalties out of three, while his teammates converted all four of theirs. This was the second time Chaine had shown his heroics in a shootout against Sundowns, having saved three penalties when Pirates won the MTN8 final in 2023.

Chaine’s performance silenced critics who insisted he did not deserve the Goalkeeper of the Season award ahead of Ronwen Williams. What made his triumph sweeter was that it came at the expense of his Bafana Bafana captain, Williams, widely regarded as one of the country’s best penalty-savers.

His coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, reserved special praise for his No. 1, saying he has worked hard to stay at the top of his game.

“Sipho, like all the other players, was fantastic. He’s an experienced guy, and he knows his job,” Ouaddou said.

“Of course, today I told him, ‘Now it’s your time.’ He showed that he deserves all the praise he’s been getting. He did a very good job, saving two penalties. We’ve always believed in him because he works so hard. He’s a very professional guy.

"I am very happy as a coach to have an international goalkeeper in my team. We’ll continue to build him stronger and stronger.”

Ouaddou stressed that the shootout win was not just down to Chaine, but also the team’s preparation.

“I hear a lot of people say penalties are luck, but they are not. You have to work on them and prepare,” Ouaddou explained.

“We have been practising them for almost three weeks. In every training session, we were practising penalties. We chose the right players to kick.

"So, I am very happy for the boys. I congratulate them for their character and personality. I am happy for everything, and for the Khoza family who are doing everything for the club.”

While Chaine and company celebrated an impressive day, the same could not be said for Patrick Maswanganyi, who was withdrawn before half-time.

“We have to be careful about that,” said Ouaddou, when asked about Maswanganyi’s early substitution.

“Patrick is one of our best players. He’s been doing well for such a long time, and I believe in him. I have been in football for 17 years. I don’t know how many times coaches took me off because I wasn’t at my best.

"It doesn’t mean I was a bad player; it just means I wasn’t at my best on the day. Maybe he’ll be a starter for the final. (Saturday) just wasn’t his day.”

Ouaddou was pleased with the win over Sundowns, but his attention has already shifted to their next Betway Premiership clash at home against Orbit College on Tuesday.

“I am very happy, of course, but I will surprise you. When I leave this room, my mind will be on the game against Orbit,” Ouaddou said.

“We don’t have time to celebrate like that. As a coach, you have to think about the next game. I am happy and doing my job. That’s it. I am going to prepare for the next one.”

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