Orlando Pirates will march into the Carling Knockout Cup final without Patrick Maswanganyi, who earned a suspension at the worst possible moment.
Maswanganyi collected his fourth yellow card of the season during Pirates’ 2–0 Betway Premiership victory over Durban City on Saturday afternoon.
The booking triggered an automatic suspension and ruled him out of next weekend’s final.
“Tito” still delivered a strong performance before the setback.
He doubled Pirates’ lead with a close-range finish after Oswin Appollis sliced open the defence with a precise ball.
The technical team later replaced him, but the damage to his availability had already unfolded.
Pirates now chase their second trophy of the season, after lifting the MTN8 earlier in the campaign, but they must do it without one of their most influential attackers.
Maswanganyi, Lebone Seema and Sihle Nduli all entered the match on a suspension tightrope, and Tito eventually paid the price.
The Buccaneers will face Marumo Gallants in the Carling final on Saturday, 6 December, at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane as they push for more silverware.
