Shabba picks Pirates maestro as Nedbank Cup sight to behold

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana captain Siphiwe Tshabalala has named an Orlando Pirates star as the player who has impressed him the most so far in the Nedbank Cup.

The Buccaneers successfully booked their seat in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup with an empathic 4-2 win over AmaZulu Fc at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening.

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Pirates' goals came via Makhehlene Makhaula, Kabelo Dlamini and a brace from Patrick Maswanganyi.

For the latter, the brace was his seventh and eighth goals of the season, in addition to eight assists, resulting in a total of 12 direct goal contributions from his 32 appearances this season.

Speaking to the media at the Nedbank Ya Rona House on Saturday, Shabba picked Maswanganyi as the most impressive player ín the tournament so far.

"Coming to the individuals that have stood out so far, I would say Maswanganyi," Tshabalala said.

"He makes Pirates play, he plays well and he is on form and I hope he continues with his rich form. It's going to be difficult, but then they are capable of going all the way.

The scorer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening goal also added that he believed The Buccaneers had what it takes to successfully defend their title.

"I'm looking forward to watching the Pirates game and hopefully they will do well, they will be consistent," he added.

"I think that's one team that plays good football and on a good day they can cause a huge upset and if they continue the great form that they showed against Arrows, they have a great chance of going all the way."

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Maswanganyi and Pirates' ambitions will be put to the test once more when they take on Chippa United in the semi-finals of the knockout competition.

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