Kaizer Chiefs have been involved in four Nedbank Cup semifinals since 2008 with mixed success but will be hoping to improve their record when they tackle Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates in their latest instalment at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
It will certainly be a tough encounter a rare Nedbank Cup meeting between the two giants of South African football just the second time they have met in the competition in the last 15 years.
We look back at Chiefs’ four semifinal clashes and how they turned out.
2013 – KAIZER CHIEFS 2-1 UNITED FC
Coach Dan Malesela’s second-tier United FC were surprise semifinalists and ultimately fell to Chiefs, but it might have been different had they not suffered terrible stage fright for the first half of the game. The AmaKhosi led 2-0 at halftime after goals from Lehlohonolo Majoro and George Lebese, and seemed to be cruising to victory. But United FC, passive in the first half, came out firing in the second and finally equalised through a Walter Maponyane penalty. Had they started the game the way they finished it, it might have been a different story.
2014 – BIDVEST WITS 2-2 KAIZER CHIEFS
After extra time; Wits won 4-2 on penalties
A superb see-saw battle that had Chiefs twice come from behind in the tie, but ultimately lose on penalties. Sibusiso Vilakazi put BidVest Wits in front via the penalty-spot, before Chiefs got a spot-kick of their own that was converted by Katlego Mphela. Former Chiefs striker Sthembiso Ngcobo put Wits back into the lead in the second half, but George Maluleka levelled again in a frenetic opening to the second half. The game went to extra time and spot kicks before Wits eventually triumphed 4-2.
2018 – KAIZER CHIEFS 0-2 FREE STATE STARS
It would be four years before Chiefs appeared in the semifinals again and it would prove a disappointment once more. They took the game to Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium in the midst of a difficult run under then-coach Steve Komphela, and were undone by a hungrier Free State Stars side. The damage was done early as Stars’ Harris Tchilimbou opened the scoring inside a minute and then added a second before halftime. Unruly scenes at the end of the game from Chiefs fans led to the resignation of Komphela.
2019 – CHIPPA UNITED 2-4 KAIZER CHIEFS
Chiefs were back in the semifinals the following year and this time completed the job in some style, though it was only a rally in the final 15 minutes that put them through against coach Clinton Larsen’s Chippa United. Dumisani Zuma had the AmaKhosi in front but when Andile Mbenyane and Lerato Manzini scored in a seven-minute second-half spell, the game was turned on its head. Chiefs looked to be heading out, but the game swung again as their Madagascan midfielder Dax equalised, and Bernard Parker and Khama Billiat added further goals. Chiefs would go on to famously lose to second-tier TS Galaxy in the final.