Lyle Lakay of Cape Town City tackled by Innocent Maela of Orlando Pirates during the 2018 Nedbank Cup Last 16 football Match between Cape Town City FC and Orlando Pirates at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town on 14 March 2018 ©Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
by
Graeme Jackson
Wednesday Mar 14, 2018. 21:29
Orlando Pirates have crashed out of the 2018 Nedbank Cup after they were beaten 1-0 by hosts Cape Town City on Wednesday evening.
The last 16 match at a rainy Cape Town Stadium was decided by a second-half goal from Ayanda Patosi, with the Citizens joining Mamelodi Sundowns, Bloemfontein Celtic, Maritzburg United, Kaizer Chiefs, Baroka, Free State Stars and Ubuntu Cape Town in the quarterfinals.
City looked bright and breezy early on, but in the eighth minute they were lucky not to go behind when they lost the ball near their own penalty area and Justin Shonga was able to get away a shot which rebounded off the inside of Sage Stephens’ right-hand post.
Two minutes later Ayanda Patosi forced Siyabonga Mpontshane into an awkward save with a dipping long-range shot, with Roland Putsche not quite able to turn home the rebound, while the Bucs ‘keeper was again called into action on the quarter hour mark to keep out a Thamsanqa Mkhize header from a corner kick.
Those opportunities sparked a spell of dominance for the hosts, who regularly flooded forward in numbers but lacked the quality and precision in the final third to really slice open Pirates’ defence, leaving the game goalless at the break.
The Citizens finally clicked into top gear 10 minutes into the second half, as Bradley Ralani played a fine low cross to find the late run of Patosi, who cracked the ball home with a first-time shot to put the Cape side in the ascendancy.
Pirates responded with a double change, as Thabo Matlaba and Bernard Morrison were replaced Thabo Qalinge and Augustine Mulenga, and just past the hour mark they nearly equalised when the latter substitute saw his goal-bound header saved by a combination of Teko Modise and Stephens on the line.
The City ‘keeper made another important contribution on 78 minutes when he saved with his feet after Shonga had turned his defender and got a shot away from a tight angle on the right of the penalty area.
Pirates continued to build pressure in the dying stages, but they were unable to find a way back into the game, leaving City to complete the line-up for Thursday’s quarterfinal draw.
Cape Town City (0) 1 (Patosi 55’)
Orlando Pirates 0
City: Stephens, Mkhize, Fielies, Johannes, Edmilson, Ralani (Masud 80’), Modise, Putsche, Lakay, Patosi (Nodada 71’), Moseamedi (Mngonyama 88’)
Pirates: Mpontshane, Dube, Jele, Munetsi, Maela, Lorch (Foster 81’), Mlambo, Nyatama, Qalinge (Matlaba 59’), Shonga, Mulenga (Morrison 59’)
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