Orlando Pirates knocked out Maritzburg United and Black Leopards beat AmaZulu to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.
Black Leopards 1-0 AmaZulu
Leopards beat AmaZulu 1-0 to secure their passage into the Nedbank Cup quarter finals on Saturday afternoon at Thohoyandou Stadium.
Tsepo Masilela came close just after the half hour mark for the visitors, who chose to field a number of fringe players, but his header from a Siphiwe Tshabalala free kick struck the crossbar and went over.
It was starting to look like a game where neither team wanted to seize the initiative, and at halftime it remained goalless.
Finally in the 53rd minute Mohammed Anas opened the scoring, nodding in unmarked after being set up by Lifa Hlongwane, as Leopards took advantage of some disappointing marking by the Usuthu defence, who allowed three Leopards players to beat the off-side line in the build-up to the goal.
It was enough to secure Lidoda Duvha’s passage into the last eight.
Maritzburg United 1-3 Orlando Pirates
Pirates came from a goal down to beat Maritzburg 3-1 on Saturday evening at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
Richard Ofori had to be alert in the 6th minute to deny Sibusiso Hlubi, as the home team threatened early on.
Thabiso Kutumela made it 1-0 in the 9th minute. Ofori was caught in no man’s land outside of his box, and dispossessed by Bongokuhle Hlongwane, and Kutumela was on hand to find the net from 30 yards out.
While Pirates threatened throughout, they were not really testing Marcel Engelhardt in the Maritzburg goal.
But whatever Josef Zinnbauer said at half-time worked wonders as eleven minutes into the second half substitute Kabelo Dlamini had Pirates level, Deon Hotto set it up and Dlamini made no mistake.
Thirty seconds later Hotto had Pirates in the lead. Almost immediately from the kick off Maritzburg were dispossessed, and Pirates countered, and the Namibian was on hand to finish off Linda Mntambo’s cross from close range.
Vincent Pule wrapped the result up in the 78th minute as he followed up to make it three, after Engelhardt had saved Dlamini’s initial effort, but only deflected it into the path of an advancing Pule, who made no mistake.
Pirates joining Leopards, Cape Town All Stars and TTM in the last eight.
