Zimbabwean Terrence Dzvukamanja scored in added time to give favourites Orlando Pirates a 2-1 victory over Sekhukhune United on Saturday in the South African FA Cup final.
A sell-out 50,000 crowd in Pretoria saw United take an early lead through Sibusiso Vilakazi and Tapelo Xoki equalise off a penalty in first-half added time.
The match seemed destined for extra time until Dzvukamanja netted his eighth goal of the season in all competitions to give Pirates a ninth FA Cup titl
Pirates hired Spanish coach Jose Riveiro at the start of the season and he won both knockout competitions and finished second in the league to secure a CAF Champions League place.
“We were not at our best tonight and it is often difficult to perform well in cup finals,” said the 47-year-old who came to South Africa after eight years coaching in Finland.
“The boys were understandably nervous given the enormity of the occasion. Being favourites put extra pressure on us.
“Orlando Pirates are a great club and this is a great day for everyone connected with them — the players, the technical staff, the officials and, most importantly, the supporters.”
Pirates will now adjust their sights to Africa, hoping to win the Champions League a second time after shocking ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast in the 1995 final.
Since then they have suffered continuous finals heartbreak, losing the 2013 Champions League decider to Al Ahly of Egypt and twice finishing runners-up in the second-tier Confederation Cup.
