Carling Knockout Cup defending champions Orlando Pirates have advanced to the semi-finals of the competition after edging Sekhukhune United 1-0 at the Orlando Arena on Saturday.

Pirates now join Mamelodi Sundowns in the last four and will wait until Sunday night to know who their next opponents will be, with AmaZulu, Stellenbosch FC, Siwelele FC and Kaizer Chiefs all set to fight for the last two vacant spots.

The Buccaneers have now beaten Sekhukhune four times already this season – two in the MTN8 semi-finals, one in the league and now in the Knockout Cup.

It was youngster Mpho Padime’s solitary goal that did the business for Pirates, when he found himself at the right place, at the right time, after tapping in a second ball from a lovely Tshepang Moremi cross to Yanela Mbuthuma.

The 19-year-old caught the Sekhukhune defenders napping and made a good run from behind to capitalize on a loose ball, easily tapping the ball into the back of the net at close range. His goal earned him the handsome Player of the Match R100 000 cheque.

Babina Noko did not trouble Bucs goalkeeper Sipho Chaine that much for most parts of the match but threatened the home side’s goals in the last stages of the game. However, none of their attempts were clinical enough to find that much-needed equaliser.

One of the bright moments of the game was seeing Pirates Diski Challenge lanky striker Sifiso Luthuli being introduced by coach Abdeslam Ouaddou to replace Yanela Mbuthuma. Luthuli, alongside Bafana Bafana star Oswin Appollis, came on and injected some more energy into the game and helped the team go all the way to continue their journey in the competition.

• Carling Knockout Cup defending champions Orlando Pirates have advanced to the semi-finals of the competition after edging Sekhukhune United 1-0 at the Orlando Arena on Saturday.
• Pirates now join Mamelodi Sundowns in the last four and will wait until Sunday night to know who their next opponents will be, with AmaZulu, Stellenbosch FC, Siwelele FC and Kaizer Chiefs all set to fight for the last two vacant spots.
• The Buccaneers have now beaten Sekhukhune four times already this season – two in the MTN8 semi-finals, one in the league and now in the Knockout Cup.
• READ: Sundowns march on to Carling Cup semis after hard-fought win over Arrows It was youngster Mpho Padime’s solitary goal that did the business for Pirates, when he found himself at the right place, at the right time, after tapping in a second ball from a lovely Tshepang Moremi cross to Yanela Mbuthuma.
• The 19-year-old caught the Sekhukhune defenders napping and made a good run from behind to capitalize on a loose ball, easily tapping the ball into the back of the net at close range.