Orlando Pirates cruised past Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC with a 4-1 victory in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon.
The Bucs found the back of the net through Andre De Jong, Thalente Mbatha, Patrick Maswanganyi and Sipho Mbule to advance to the Round of 16 in the Nedbank Cup. Pirates locked horns with TTM in the first round of the 2026 Nedbank Cup, looking to add yet another trophy to their cabinet in the current campaign.
The Buccaneers have already secured the MTN8, Carling Knockout Cup and Carling Black Label Cup titles this season under the guidance of head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
Pirates clashed with TTM high in confidence after claiming a 2-0 victory over AmaZulu FC in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday to climb to the summit of the league table with 35 points in 15 matches.
The Soweto giants moved three points clear of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who sit second on the log. Masandawana won the league for eight successive seasons.
In a match against the Limpopo ABC Motsepe League side, Pirates were quick off the mark after opening the scoring in the 10th minute with a penalty goal from Andre De Jong after Oswin Appollis was fouled in the box.
A few minutes later, the Sea Robbers doubled the lead with a long-range strike from Thalente Mbatha. Pirates continued to dominate the match, creating a handful of scoring chances while TTM failed to trouble their opponents in the opening minutes of the game.
PIRATES SCORED TWO QUICK GOALS AGAINST TTM
In the 39th minute, TTM won a set piece outside the Pirates’ box, and Sithembiso Ngobe stepped up to net from a free-kick, beating second-choice goalkeeper Melusi Buthelezi.
After an eventful first-half, the match went into the half-time break with Pirates leading TTM 2-1. At the start of the second-half, the Ghosts made two substitutions after bringing in Patrick Maswanganyi and Daniel Msendami in place of Andre De Jong and Tshepang Moremi.
Maswanganyi made an immediate impact from the bench after scoring the third goal for Pirates in the 50th minute after a great combination play with Yanela Mbuthuma.
Pirates scored the fourth goal in the 90th minute via Mbule to beat TTM 4-1 to book a place in the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup, joining clubs such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch FC, and Durban City FC.
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