Sipho Chaine was like a king in Durban last Saturday. When Karim Kimvuidi scored the winning spot kick in the MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns, all the Orlando Pirates players ran towards the goalkeeper to celebrate. Not that they did not appreciate what their new signing from Maritzburg United had done, leaving Ronwen Williams 'stranded' as he coolly slotted home, but it was appreciation for their teammate's brilliant efforts, saving three penalties to ensure the R8 million cheque stays in Soweto. The 26-year-old's rise to become the number one goalkeeper at the Buccaneers has been something out of a fairytale book. To think a year ago he was not even on the bench for the MTN8 final against AmaZulu FC at the same venue. Such are the vicissitudes of life, especially for a goalkeeper, a very unique position in the Beautiful Game. Fresh off his Moses Mabhida Stadium heroics, Chaine speaks to Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane as he relives the fateful day's drama and suspense. The former Chippa United and Bloemfontein Celtic goalkeeper also reveals whether he's now eyeing a Bafana Bafana call-up with the Africa Cup of Nations just a few months away.
Tshepang Mailwane: Sipho, congratulations on your standout performance in the MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium last Saturday. Just a year ago, you didn't make the matchday squad for a final in the same competition, but this time around you played and made three saves during the spot kicks to inspire Orlando Pirates to victory. Has it sunk in yet?
Sipho Chaine: Honestly, everything is just surreal. It's like I can pinch myself and wake up from whatever has been happening. It's a feeling that I can't even understand myself.
TM: Are these moments you grew up dreaming about?
SC: 100 percent. I think every young kid would say the same thing. When you love the game, you try to reach the highest peak and try to go higher. My dream came true, and there is always more. God works in mysterious ways and everything works out in its own time. I can see His hand in my life, and I would not really take credit for anything, even what happened in Durban on Saturday. I used to like watching Itu (Itumeleng Khune) and the late Senzo (Meyiwa). I think they took South African goalkeeping to another level. I also used to love Moeneeb Josephs, seeing the things he used to do back then. He used to motivate a person to reach their dreams and to work as hard as you can to get there.
TM: Did you have any family members in attendance in what was such a memorable day for you?
SC: I had my aunt and her husband there. I really appreciated the support that they gave me. I got messages from family. They've been supporting me. My brother and mom, who are close to me, they have kept on telling me how good I am and how much I should keep believing in myself, even when I doubted.
TM: That's awesome! Going into the penalty shootout after an absorbing 120 minutes of football, what was going through your mind?
SC: At that specific time, especially as a goalkeeper, you try to be as focused as you can and try to remember whatever information you had throughout the week, or throughout your football career. It goes deeper than preparing for that specific game. So, I was just trying to be focused and to put together a lot of information about who is going to kick and what are the strengths of the kicker. It's not an easy moment, but I tried and I became as calm as I could to execute an action that is based on what I had and what I felt at that specific moment.
TM: You certainly did more than try! Tell us, how do you get information on a penalty taker?
SC: Sometimes you might be fortunate to have seen stuff from the past year if the opposition has been involved in a penalty shootout, but as I said, it really goes a long way. But the most important thing is the moment and how you feel at that time and what you see. You might have done your homework on a specific player, but then he goes to the opposite side. I don't want to mention names, but I can recall that one of them is the example I am giving you now. I had all the information on him, and the numbers are convincing on where he goes, but he went the totally opposite side.
TM: Is that example from one of the penalties you saved on Saturday?
SC: Yes, ha, ha, ha.
TM: Hmmm. Did you intimidate a player or use any delay tactics during the shootout to unsettle the Mamelodi Sundowns penalty takers?
SC: Ha, ha, ha, that one I can't discuss, my brother. I have a very long career ahead of me. I try to be myself, so whatever works for me, I try to do it to the best that I can.
TM: A week before the final, you were taken off ahead of a penalty shootout against Jwaneng Galaxy in the CAF Champions League second leg of the second preliminary round. Did you worry, at any point, that it would happen to you again this past weekend?
SC: I am always ready to contribute to the team in whichever way possible. It's the coach's decision on who plays and what he is comfortable with. I have to respect that as a football player. I put myself in every kind of scenario. Yes, I was substituted (in the Champions League), but I supported the decision of the coach, irrespective of me coming off. On another day, it could have been different. So, it's about acknowledging and respecting the decision of the coach, whether it makes you feel happy or sad. It's for the betterment of the club.
TM: But did you, as a team, also not think about the fact that, just a week before the MTN8 shootout, you lost on penalties to the Botswana side, which could have happened again at Moses Mabhida Stadium?
SC: Personally, no. You try to focus on the moment, on where you are. Maybe it's because I didn't play in the penalty shootout in the previous week. Maybe that's why. But, for me, I was totally focused on the game and what was needed in that moment.
TM: You made a save early from a Themba Zwane effort. How big was that save for your confidence?
SC: As a goalkeeper, it's highly important to make such saves to boost your confidence. Maybe like a striker, scoring a goal gives them energy to go for more, it's the same when you are a goalkeeper. It gives you a huge morale booster.
TM: After the game, you gave credit to referee Abongile Tom for his performance at the press conference. Why do you feel he deserved credit?
SC: In the last year, they have been under a lot of scrutiny and it has not been easy for them. I understand because we as footballers go through the same thing. When you make a mistake, everything is on you. When they do well, we should also give them the credit when they make the right decisions. I know they wouldn't always make the right decisions because the life of a referee is difficult. It's like trying to make 70 or 80 decisions in a single 90-minute game. It's really not easy for them, so they should get credit when they are able to manage games like a final.
TM: With a performance like the one on Saturday, do you hope you can sneak into the Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations next year?
SC: I go into every game trying to be a better footballer. Whatever happens is not in my hands. I just try to get better when I am in my highs and in my lows. If it happens that you are called up, or you aren't, it's really not the aim. For me, it's about the Sipho Chaine I want to see, maybe in the next few months, the next year or the next two years.
TM: When you have Richard Ofori and Siyabonga Mpontshane fighting to get back into the starting line-up, as well as Melusi Buthelezi joining the club having been the number one at TS Galaxy, how does that inspire you to continue working hard to keep that number one jersey?
SC: We have top goalkeepers who push me every week and it really helps to get better every day. It keeps you on your feet because I know that there is no time to slack off and there is no time to be looking around. You just have to keep going and working hard. It's like me playing for Pirates and being chosen to start a few games.
TM: Has it sunk in that you've won three consecutive knockout competitions since you joined the Buccaneers?
SC: I think Orlando Pirates has managed to win three cups in a year-and-a-half. That's the most important thing. It's bigger than any individual. It's really not about me and how I am impacting the club. The most important thing is that Pirates have had a good run in cup competitions.
TM: How disappointing was the CAF Champions League exit, considering so many had expected you to reach the group stages?
SC: As Pirates, we strive to reach the peak of every competition that we compete in. Whether we were knocked out now or in the group stages, we would still be disappointed in ourselves. In every game, we strive to win it. It was a real disappointment for us losing that tie over two legs. It was really not a nice feeling for us.
TM: How much homework had you done, as a team, on Morena Ramoreboli's charges?
SC: We really do a lot of homework. As a club like Pirates, you have to have as much information you need for the opponent you are playing against. We did enough to try to win the game, but it did not go our way.
TM: You're facing Cape Town Spurs in the Carling Black Label Knockout. Do you see Pirates going all the way?
SC: Ha, ha, ha. We go into every competition to win. That's what the badge itself requires us to do. There is no day where we will feel like we can't. We want to win every game and reach the top levels that we set for ourselves.
TM: Thank you for your time, Sipho. Incredible performance in the final, and we hope up-and-coming goalkeepers were watching and felt inspired by that courageous display in front of a full crowd. Congrats and good luck for the rest of the season.
SC: Thank you.
SIPHO CHAINE FACT FILE
Date of birth: 14 December 1996
Place of birth: Bloemfontein, Free State
Nickname: None
Position: Goalkeeper
Jersey number: 24
Club: Orlando Pirates
Previous clubs: Bloemfontein Celtic, Royal AM, Chippa United
Honours: 2022 MTN8 winner, 2022/23 Nedbank Cup winner, 2023 MTN8 winner (all with Pirates)
