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In what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in local football history, Baroka FC capped their fairy tale run in the Telkom Knockout to gift Limpopo their first cup champions yesterday.
Head coach Wedson Nyirenda understandably looked like the cat that got the cream as he lifted his first piece of silverware in South Africa, six months after he assumed the role.
With this triumph, Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele emulated other unfancied sides that came before them, including Platinum Stars and Ajax Cape Town, who denied Orlando Pirates glory in the previous finals of the cup, which offers a R4 million first prize.
Baroka fought like warriors possessed against Pirates to eventually claim the big prize, although it took the lottery of penalties to decide the tie that was end-to-end stuff from the first whistle.
Mduduzi Mdantsane, Vusi Sibiya and Thabiso Semenya converted from the spot kicks that turned Bucs’ heroes in the 120 minutes of play into villains during the tense shootout.
Pirates talismen Thembinkosi Lorch and Justin Shonga missed, despite the two having contributed to the goals that marked their amazing comebacks.
Lorch’s goal had forced the game into penalties, but it was his missed spot kick that handed Baroka the historic victory when Pirates had a chance to take it to sudden death after Davies Nkausu’s miss.
At least this time, the football gods smiled on a side that really showed more hunger during the entire game.
It was Baroka who lit up the early stages of the opening half, with Talent Chawapiwa the master engineer behind Baroka’s attacks.
The Zimbabwean international’s devastating pace and close ball control was a handful, but he found the Bucs rearguard alert.
The Buccaneers retaliated in almost a similar fashion with Vincent Pule and Lorch the main threat each time they surged forward.
To their credit, the Baroka defence, led by experienced 36-year-old Thabiso Semenya – who also scored during the penalty shootout – held their lines well, with their goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze also contributing with solid saves.
Baroka almost shot themselves in the foot earlier in the game.
Despite having gotten every detail right in the opening stages, they nearly paid a heavy price just six minutes into the game when a half-hearted back pass fell into Lorch’s path, but the attacker shot straight into Chipezeze.
The Zimbabwean keeper also denied Lorch early in the second half.
A moment of madness by Pirates defender Marshall Munetsi somewhat spoilt what was a rather exiting opening half when his nasty double-foot lunge on Jemondre Dickens earned him a straight red card from no-nonsense referee Victor Gomes four minutes before the half-time break.
Baroka exploited the gap immediately when Chawapiwa stole possession to set up another attack and, this time around, the move paid dividends when Dickens fired home on the stroke of half-time.
The numerical disadvantage somehow injected a new dimension into Bucs’ play as the team then did battle with a three-man defence of Happy Jele, Innocent Maela and Asavela Mbekile, while Xola Mlambo and Musa Nyatama alternated as back-ups.
The second half saw the emergence of a more determined Pirates side as they pressed their opponents high up.
Coach Milutin Sredojevic’s men were duly rewarded when Baroka conceded a free kick that proved fatal seven minutes after recess.
Musa Nyatama was on hand to level the scores from the resultant set play, tapping home a rebound after Shonga’s well-taken free kick came off the upright.
It was game on!
The marauding Pirates still found a way past the stubborn Baroka defence, but were let down by poor finishing – one such wasted opportunity was spurned by Augustine Mulenga deep into the second stanza.
Pule also forced a shot out in the midst of their attacks, but Chipezeze put his body behind the cracker and later followed up with another brave save to deny Shonga.
Amid pressure from the Bucs’ raids, Baroka created a few attacks of their own, but lacked a killer sting until they were awarded a penalty that Mdantsane converted in the opening half of extra time.
This after Siyabonga Mpontshane was again found wanting when he fouled Onkabetse Makgantai.
It was thanks to his team-mates’ persistence that Lorch was able to bring Bucs level as he headed home with the clock ticking away.
In the end, penalties decided the new champions as Baroka and their small band of fans danced the night away to the sounds of King Monada’s hit Malwedhe.
For Bucs, it was so near yet so far in their attempt to end a four-year cup drought.
Next up, Baroka will have back-to-back Absa Premiership dates with the two sides that they knocked out en route to yesterday’s final. Bakgaga will face Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday and Bidvest Wits on Sunday.
The Buccaneers, on the other hand, will resume their league programme against Free State Stars at Goble Park in Bethlehem on Tuesday night.
Baroka won 3-2 on penalties
