Pirates stopper Chaine outshines Williams in semi-final thriller

SIPHO Chaine once again proved he has a safe pair of hands, emerging as one of the heroes in Orlando Pirates’ march to the MTN8 final for the fourth time in a row on Saturday.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

Pirates beat rivals Mamelodi Sundowns 4-1 on penalties in the semifinal, after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate over two legs.

The second leg was played in Atteridgeville on Saturday, where Iqraam Rayners opened the scoring for Sundowns before Kamogelo Sebelebele found the equaliser. Sebelebele, who also scored in the 1-1 draw in the first leg, bagged his second goal of the tie and claimed the Player of the Match award.

Chaine, however, had the final laugh. He saved Sundowns’ first two penalties out of three, while his teammates converted all four of theirs. This was the second time Chaine had shown his heroics in a shootout against Sundowns, having saved three penalties when Pirates won the MTN8 final in 2023.

Chaine’s performance silenced critics who insisted he did not deserve the Goalkeeper of the Season award ahead of Ronwen Williams.