“Hungry For More”: Youngster Padime Repays Ouaddou’s Faith As Pirates Grind Out Sekhukhune Victory

Orlando Pirates dug deep to defeat Sekhukhune United 1-0 and secure a place in the Carling Knockout semi-finals at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday afternoon, keeping their title defense on track.

It was a tough grind for the Soweto giants, who defeated Sekhukhune for the fourth time this season across all competitions—scoring seven goals in the process without conceding a single one.

Pirates entered the clash in formidable form, having already swept Sekhukhune 4-0 on aggregate in the two-legged MTN8 semi-finals before claiming a 2-0 league victory in Soweto. Despite securing a 1-0 win in Soweto last season, Sekhukhune have failed to score against the Buccaneers in their last four meetings.

The hosts should have taken an early lead when Deon Hotto whipped a dangerous ball to the back post to Ghampani Lungu. However, the chance was squandered when Lungu opted for the wrong angle at the near post instead of heading it across goal.

Sekhukhune’s Chibuike Ohizu almost punished Pirates when he broke clear on goal, but he put too much power behind his strike, allowing Sipho Chaine to make the gather. Ohizu went down in the box claiming contact from behind by Sbangani Zulu, but referee Eugene Mdluli ruled otherwise, judging that the forward had simply lost control of the ball.

Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou handed young Mpho Padime his first start of the season after a series of cameo appearances, and the youngster quickly repaid his manager’s faith. In the 31st minute, Tshepang Moremi clipped a ball into the box from the right wing, and after Sekhukhune failed to clear the danger, it bounced kindly for Padime to slot home from close range.

Padime had earlier drawn the ire of his coach after giving the ball away while attempting a fancy trick, leaving Ouaddou seething on the touchline.

The impressive Simphiwe Masilela nearly doubled Pirates’ lead just before half-time with a long-range thunderbolt, but Sekhukhune goalkeeper Manuel Sapunga reacted brilliantly to tip the effort away.

Sekhukhune coach Papi Zothwane—who replaced Cedric Kaze after the club’s MTN8 second-leg loss to Pirates—appeared short of answers as his side struggled to threaten the champions. Zothwane holds a strong pedigree in this competition, having won it as assistant coach to Clinton Larsen at Magesi against Mamelodi Sundowns during the 2024/25 season. However, duplicating that success against the current holders proved too steep a task.

Ouaddou withdrew goalscorer Padime just after the hour mark, introducing Oswin Appollis. Appollis, who has seen limited starting opportunities this season, immediately involved himself in the attack, drawing a fine diving save from Sapunga with a sharp left-footed strike.

Moremi, who has been in fine scoring touch recently, squandered two golden opportunities to extend the lead, sending one effort wildly over the bar. His second miss saw Ouaddou collapse to the ground in disbelief on the sidelines.

Pirates almost paid the price for those missed chances late in the game when Thabo Nkwana wriggled his way into the penalty area. However, Sipho Chaine stood tall to preserve the clean sheet, putting behind his costly error in last weekend’s Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs.

With this victory, Pirates join Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals. The remaining two quarter-final ties take place on Sunday, with Stellenbosch hosting AmaZulu and Kaizer Chiefs welcoming Siwelele, followed immediately by the official semi-final draw.