An emotional Paseka Mako admitted that footage of Kaizer Chiefs' seemingly premature celebrations gave Orlando Pirates added motivation in their dramatic 2-1 extra time Nedbank Cup semi-final win on Saturday.
The Buccaneers sent Amakhosi crashing out of the Nedbank Cup in front of a sold-out FNB Stadium to book a spot in the competition's final.
Kermit Erasmus grabbed the opener before Sandile Mthethwa scored an extra-time winner after Chiefs' Yusuf Maart had levelled the scores in the second half.
?? John 20:21????????#WeDontKeepScoreWeSettleThem#OrlandoPirates #AllIn#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/JAdNQqDoSV
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) May 7, 2023
Mako, who delivered a Man of the Match performance on the day also revealed that he was angered by the viral clip back in April of Amakhosi players celebrating being drawn against Pirates ahead of the semi-finals.
"I was celebrating with the fans [after Saturday's win] because they were happy and I was happy," Mako said post-match.
"We know that they also wanted us to beat Chiefs, so we did that for them, that's why I'm happy.
"Sorry to say this, I was angry when Chiefs saw that they drew us and they were happy. That's why I was happy [celebrating] with the supporters."
Chiefs' head coach Arthur Zwane and sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr insisted that the celebrations were misinterpreted.
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Pirates will meet Sekhukhune United in the final for the Nedbank Cup on 27 May, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, but before that, the teams will go head-to-head in DStv Premiership clash on Saturday at Orlando Stadium.
For Chiefs, the loss means the end of their trophy ambitions for the season, with a second or third-place spot all that's left to play for.
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