Black Label Cup: Pirates outclass All Stars to complete Carling double

Orlando Pirates might have just unleashed another talented youngster after Sifiso Luthuli scored a brilliant goal to lead them to the Carling Black Label Cup.

Pirates became the first Carling Knockout champions to win the Carling Black Label Cup after beating the Carling All Stars 2-0 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday.

Abdeslam Ouaddou named a squad that had a mix of PSL and Diski Challenge players and one of them was on the scoresheet with Boitumelo Radiopane scoring the second, both goals coming in the second half.

There were few chances in the first half when neither side threatened the other although the All Stars had Marcelo Allende running the show in midfield.

Missed chances in the first half

However, All Stars should have been awarded a penalty when Makhehlene Makhaula fouled Kaizer Chiefs star Mfundo Vilakazi but the referee waved the appeals away as both teams went into the break tied 0-0.

However, after the break, Pirates upped the ante, Deon Hotto finding Radiopane with a great pass immediately after resumption but the striker failed to connect well with the ball.

All Star coach Manqoba Mngqithi made some changes in a bid to add impetus to his team as Chiefs star Mduduzi Shabalala and Sundowns playmaker Nuno Santos came on and they nearly combined for a goal soon after.

Santos whipped in a good ball from a freekick which Shabalala met but the Chiefs midfielder could not apply the finish while stationed in the box as the chance went begging.

How did Pirates make Carling history?

All Stars would pay the price soon after as Luthuli introduced himself in the most memorable way. The youngster made a good run forward, beating two defenders to get on the end of a Hotto pass and finished beautifully by lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper first-time to break the deadlock.

That was in the 67^th minute and 12 minutes later, Pirates were celebrating a second one. The All Stars defence failed to close in on Radiopane, who made a good run on the right wing, shrugging off his markers before slotting low into the bottom right corner to seal the victory for Pirates.

It sees Pirates secure a Carling double within a week as they have added the Black Label Cup to the Carling Knockout trophy that they won last week when they beat Marumo Gallants 1-0 in the final.

The All Stars team had won the last two Black Label Cups, under ex-Pirates coach Jose Riveiro, beating Stellenbosch FC 2-1 in 2023 before edging out Magesi FC 3-0 last year. It is the third trophy for Pirates, who had also won the MTN8 early in the season.