For all the joy that Orlando Pirates brought on the field on Saturday evening, the same old issues of fans struggling to get into the venue spoiled the fun.
This time, it was horrible.
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Really bad and probably the worst ever experience for all the times that I have been to this venue.
The main roads (N17, then Klipspruit Valley Road) providing entrance to Orlando Stadium off the N1 South were gridlocked from as far as before the New Canada bridge almost 30 minutes before kick-off at 18h00.
The traffic congestion meant for those with the option of leaving the driver in the car, a 3km walk was the next option.
There was little, if any, movement of cars from under that the New Canada bridge all the way to the Soweto Highway circle.
From there, vehicles heading to Orlando Stadium were not able to proceed further down on Klipspruit Valley Road as cars travelling in the opposite direction were now driving on the oncoming lanes.
It was only on the Soweto Highway circle that there was one JMPD officer who was overwhelmed by the situation as fans panicked that they would miss the game.
For us who were on foot with the two teenagers that I was with and a guest from abroad, we continued walking and from just past the Mlamlankunzi Train Station, the bush had been turned into a parking zone.
Proceeding further down Klipspruit Valley Road towards Martha Louw Street turn into the stadium, the traffic had cleared, but there was still chaos at the gates, and I witnessed several fans finding their way in without tickets.
By the time we got to sit down, the game was approaching the break and we were just lucky to witness all four goals as the game went to extra-time.
Of concern was that the driver of the vehicle that we were travelling in ultimately gave up as by the time he got to Soweto Highway traffic circle, the game was 80 minutes old and so decided to park at the Engen Garage next to Chicken Licken.
His alternative was to only watch the game on his phone.
Rather sad.
For my guest from overseas, this left a sour taste for him through this fan experience with questions left hanging about how the relevant authorities didn't plan accordingly for the event.
A sizeable crowd will attest to the fact that the traffic challenges outside the venue left them only able to watch the second 45 minutes and luckily, the game stretched to extra-time, by which time the stadium was just about full.
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The images from when the game started with the upper tier empty to when extra-time started reflected what fans had to deal with in trying to get inside.
Minus the chaos outside, Orlando Stadium was rocking with The Ghost in full voice and hope is that fans will not be discouraged from attending games because of such issues, which can obviously be eliminated.