Orlando Pirates star Thembinkosi Lorch has set an unwanted statistic of winning a Man of the Match award and missing a penalty in a cup final after their CAF Confederation Cup heartbreak on Friday.
The Pirates playmaker produced a standout performance in the continental final that was duly rewarded with the Man of the Match honour as he was had three shots on target, won six ground duels, involved in three recoveries of possession while by their driving force in attack throughout the 120 minutes.
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He also scored the 117th-minute equaliser to force the match into penalties and despite the confidence, he clearly showed, he missed the vital spot-kick in the 5-4 shootout defeat that revisits memories of the 2018 Telkom Knockout final at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
In that game, with Pirates trailing 2-1 in extra-time he also scored late on with his 114th-minute strike taking the game to penalties but then going on to miss a penalty in the 3-2 shootout loss and it may have been a bit of a groundhog day moment as he needed to step up the Man of the Match award that evening in tears too.
The 28-year-old has arguably been the Buccaneers’ star player since returning on loan from Chippa United in 2017 but over the past five years, only last season’s MTN8 trophy is attached to his CV as a professional footballer.
Lorch has scored 29 goals and registered 26 assists for the Soweto giants in 147 games in all competitions while he scooped the 2018/19 PSL Footballer of the Season award as part of his individual accolades.
