BACK TO BACK MTN 8 TITLES FOR OLISA NDAH AND ORLANDO PIRATES

Olisa Ndah joined South African side Orlando Pirates in 2021 after Akwa United won the title in 2021. He signed for the South African side and played with them to the CAF Confe matches in his first season.

Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah, who has faced a challenging season due to a lingering knee issue, celebrated a triumphant moment by helping Orlando Pirates secure the MTN8 Cup with a 3-1 victory in a penalty shootout against Mamelodi Sundowns last Saturday. This 25-year-old defender made his mark by coming off the bench in the 34th minute to replace Nkosinathi Sibisi.

The highly anticipated final was a fierce contest between the two teams, with unbeaten Sundowns eager to claim the first title of the 2023/24 season. Pirates had the return of Monnapule Saleng alongside Kermit Erasmus, who faced his former team, and key players like goalkeeper Rowen Williams, Marcelo Allende, Neo Maema, and Peter Shalulile were back in the Sundowns lineup.

During the first half, both teams had opportunities to take the lead, but neither could find the net, resulting in a goalless score at halftime. After the break, Shalulile had a close call from inside the penalty area, and a quick clearance by Ndah was seized upon by Allende, who forced a low save from Chaine. Pirates had a chance to secure the cup in the dying moments when Saleng's near-post effort, following a pass from Erasmus, narrowly missed, leading the match into extra time and eventually a penalty shootout.

In the end, Chaine emerged as the hero by saving three consecutive penalty kicks in the shootout, with Karim Kimvuidi delivering the decisive winning kick that secured the MTN8 title for the Buccaneers for the second year in a row.

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This marks the third piece of silverware in the past twelve months for Olisa Ndah and Orlando Pirates, following their MTN8 victory in November and their Nedbank Cup triumph in May. After his nearly 90-minute performance in the final, Ndah is hopeful of securing more playing time under the guidance of coach Jose Riveiro. This win also represents his third MTN8 title, the previous one being in 2022.

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