Nedbank Cup goals can be launchpad for Mabasa, Lorch

The Nedbank Cup has long been a competition for players to turn around their fortunes and rebuild confidence and fan faith, and there were two fresh examples of that in the Last 16 matches this past weekend.

Tshegofatso Mabasa scored a classy brace for Orlando Pirates as they swept past second-tier Hungry Lions 4-0 to take his tally in this year’s competition to three in two games and join Mamelodi Sundowns’ Gaston Sirino and SuperSport United teenager Shandre Campbell at the top of the scorers charts.

The second was Thembinkosi Lorch, who twice unlocked a stubborn Maritzburg United defence to help Sundowns into the last-8 following his move from Pirates.

Mabasa had been out of favour at The Buccaneers and spent the first half of the season at Moroka Swallows, where he impressed with six goals. But the well-publicised off-field issues at The Birds meant he returned to Pirates in January.

But with competition for places and perhaps needing to win back the trust of coach Jose Riveiro, he faced an uncertain future before his three Nedbank Cup goals have underlined his form and quality.

"What I can tell you is that what we are looking for in that position, he fits well," Riveiro said. "He is a striker that can help us play better. We all know what Tshego can do in the box, his quality, his timing in the air. He is very complete, as close to the box as possible.

"But he is also improving in his playing far from the box. He's also giving us a lot of things, improving. We don’t see a No 9 as only a player just to finalise the action in the box and that’s it.

“It’s a player that needs to help us out to play better, to play the football we want to play. To be in contact with the ball, to dominate the central lane on the field, to create