Some nights the champions have to sweat for it. This was not one of them. By half-time in Soweto the job was done, three goals to the good, and Milford, newcomers to the top flight this season, were left chasing shirts they could not catch.
The Pirates Milford cup result was a 3-0 win for the holders in the knockout cup last 16 on Tuesday night, every goal scored before the break, according to the full-time reports of iDiski Times and Soccer Mag. Tshepang Moremi scored twice and made the other for Thapelo Mokobodi. Orlando Pirates are in the quarter-finals, and they booked their place the night before they learn their CAF Champions League group.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Result | Orlando Pirates 3-0 Milford FC |
| Half-time | 3-0 |
| Goals | Thapelo Mokobodi, Tshepang Moremi (2) |
| Venue | Orlando Stadium, Soweto |
| Stage | Knockout cup, last 16 |
| Through to the quarter-finals | Orlando Pirates |
How the Pirates Milford cup result was settled in one half
Abdeslam Ouaddou made two changes from Friday’s 4-0 win over African Stars, iDiski Times reported, with Gamphani Lungu and Deon Hotto in for Simphiwe Masilela and Nkosikhona Ndaba. Pirates were knocking inside five minutes, Lungu sending an effort into the goalkeeper’s hands and Moremi firing just wide.
The breakthrough came around the quarter-hour. Moremi slipped Mokobodi in and he finished calmly into the bottom corner, Soccer Mag reported. iDiski Times noted it was his second goal in as many matches, after he opened the scoring in Friday’s Champions League win over African Stars.
Just past the half-hour, Moremi turned from provider to finisher. Thalente Mbatha played him through, he rounded the goalkeeper and put the ball into an empty net from a tight angle. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Mpho Padime, on since the 39th minute in place of Lungu, split the Milford defence with one pass and Moremi finished again. Three goals, one half, tie over.
Moremi and Milford, again
There is a pattern here. Back on 1 August, in the first league game of the campaign, Moremi scored the second goal in Pirates’ 2-0 win over Milford at the same ground, the PSL’s match report shows. That makes three goals against the newcomers this season, two of them on Tuesday. If you want to know why we keep talking about him, our One to Watch profile makes the case.
The second half was quieter, which suited the hosts. Padime pulled a shot wide ten minutes after the restart, and just after the hour Sipho Chaine saved a long-range effort from Milford’s Mthabela, the visitors’ clearest sight of goal in either report. Milford made four changes at the break, iDiski Times reported, but never found a way back into it.
With 64 minutes gone, Ouaddou took off Moremi, Mbatha, Evidence Makgopa and Bulelani Sigomoshe and sent on Boitumelo Radiopane, Mohau Nkota, Cemran Dansin and Mthetheleli Mthiyane.
Our view: those substitutions said as much as the goals. With a Soweto Derby on Saturday and Africa waiting, getting four starters off the field with more than 25 minutes left is its own kind of win. Milford had arrived unbeaten in four league matches, iDiski Times noted, and they leave with a lesson rather than a hiding. For a side in its debut top-flight campaign, there is no shame in being beaten by the champions on a night like this.
Why it matters and what comes next
The stakes going in, and the pre-match team news, are in our knockout cup last 16 preview. The brief on Tuesday was simple: get through and keep the legs fresh. Done, and done early.
On Wednesday, CAF holds the Champions League group stage draw in Cairo at 14:00 SAST, the confederation confirms. Sixteen sides will be split into four pools, and the group games begin in November. Pirates go into it as South Africa’s only club in the Champions League group stage, as iDiski Times pointed out, and Fluit’s Five has the full draw details.
Then comes Saturday: the Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium, kick-off 15:30, the PSL confirms. The quarter-final draw is made on the field after Wednesday’s Durban City v Stellenbosch tie, and the last eight are played on the weekend of 6 to 8 November, according to the PSL. The whole week is tracked on our Pirates hub.
The holders are still holding. Soweto has a long week ahead. Tuesday, at least, was an easy night.