During this past weekend four teams went head-to-head in the MTN8 semi-final first leg.
The Soweto Derby kicked off proceedings as longstanding rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates locked horns.
Chiefs had the brighter start to the match, with Khama Billiat and Leonardo Castro both squandering chances early on. Amakhosi would rue those missed chances as Pirates took the lead thanks to a well-executed header by Zakhele Lepasa. With Chiefs pushing for an equalizer, Pirates managed to double their lead thanks to some superb control and finishing by Vincent Pule in the Chiefs box after being teed up by Thembinkosi Lorch.
Matters went from bad to worse for Gavin Hunt's side as Pirates managed to catch Chiefs on the counter. Deon Hotto set up Lorch, who raced clear before neatly tucking away beyond Daniel Akpeyi. Pirates have a comfortable three-goal lead heading into the second leg at the FNB stadium.
Sunday saw Bloemfontein Celtic and SuperSport United square off at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.
Celtic were looking for their second final berth in quick succession and took an early lead thanks to influential captain Ndumiso Mabena, who was reinstated to the starting XI after recovering from injury. SuperSport managed to fight back in the second half and grabbed the equalizer through Gampani Lungu, who scored at the second time of asking after his initial shot was blocked. Celtic hold the advantage going into the second leg with an away goal in hand.
With that brief summary of the weekend’s results, have a go at selecting your Team of the Week and see how close you get to the official Soccer Laduma selection.
