Orlando Pirates successfully defended their Nedbank Cup title following their 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday evening.

Following a free-kick, the 19-year-old was inside the area when the ball was crossed, and he blasted it into the net in the northeastern city of Mbombela, missing custodian Ronwen Williams.

Before Themba Zwane gave Sundowns the lead on minute 54, Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro had a penalty saved by Pirates custodian Sipho Chaine in the first half.

In front of a sell-out 43,500 spectators, Patrick Maswanganyi’s penalty kick after 71 minutes tied the score for the Pirates.

Mofokeng scored with extra time about to expire, giving Pirates their second consecutive victory in the top South African knockout tournament.

“We gave our all to make the supporters happy. It was a tremendous comeback against excellent opponents,” said Jose Riveiro, the Spanish coach of Pirates.

Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena said: “I don’t know how we lost having dominated the final. Football can be cruel.”

Champions Sundowns, who had gone 38 games without a loss in all domestic competitions before dropping their last league game and the cup final, had a disappointing conclusion to the season.

Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix