Stellenbosch FC’s memorable MTN8 campaign came to an end on Saturday after the club suffered a hard-fought defeat to Orlando Pirates in the final.

Playing in front of a capacity crowd of 40,000-plus spectators at Mbombela Stadium, Stellenbosch FC and Orlando Pirates went toe-to-toe for the coveted MTN8 trophy in a match that coincidentally served as a repeat of last year’s final

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Stellies had previously overcome the challenge of AmaZulu and Sekhukhune United earlier in the competition, while the Buccaneers, as reigning champions, defeated Polokwane City and Mamelodi Sundowns en route to the showpiece finale.

There, the two teams played out a tense end-to-end affair that ultimately extended into extra time after neither side was able to find the breakthrough during the 90 minutes of regulation time.

With the prospect of a penalty shootout looming, Pirates came out fastest and struck shortly after the restart when substitutes Oswin Appolis and Tshepang Moremi combined for the latter to open the scoring.

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Fellow sub Tshegofatso Mabasa then doubled the Bucs’ lead on the stroke of half-time in extra-time, before Moremi put the game to bed with his second of the night, punctuating a result that did not accurately reflect the tight nature of the encounter.

Ultimately, though, that was how the clash ended as Pirates claimed a 3-0 win to be crowned champions and retain their title, walking away with the trophy for a record fourth consecutive season.