Deon Hotto was named Man of the Match and walked away with N$8 000 after his decisive performance in Orlando Pirates’ narrow 1-0 victory over Sekhukhune United in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The 35-year-old scored the game’s only goal in the 44th minute following a well-worked combination with new signing Ghampani Lungu. Hotto’s finish gave Pirates a 1-0 lead at half-time and ultimately proved to be the winning goal, putting the defending champions one step closer to another MTN8 final.
Pirates will now host Sekhukhune in the second leg at Orlando Stadium on 29 August at 15h00, with a place in the final at stake.
Hotto has continued his impressive form from last season, when he finished as the league’s top assist provider and helped Pirates complete a treble that included the MTN8. He has already registered two goal contributions this season, with one goal in the MTN8 and one assist in the league.
Speaking about the match, Hotto acknowledged the difficulty of playing on Sekhukhune’s compact pitch but was pleased that Pirates secured the result they wanted.
“It was a very difficult game because we knew they were bringing us to a very small pitch where we would not be able to penetrate into the spaces that we wanted. But at the end of the day, we managed to get the win — the result that we came for.”
On his combination with Lungu and the contribution of the other forwards, Hotto explained how the opening came together.
“Lungu and Oswin Appollis switched sides. I picked a one-two with Lungu and he played the ball back to me, just like we always do in training. The hard work that Mbuthuma was doing, pulling the central defenders away, created space for me to shoot and score.”
Looking ahead to the second leg, Hotto believes the change of venue could favour Pirates.
“The most important thing is that we got the victory here. Now we are going to Orlando Stadium, where it is a bigger pitch. It is going to be tough for them, that is one thing for sure.”
Pirates are hoping to reach their fifth consecutive MTN8 final, having featured in the previous four editions from 2022 to 2025 and won all four. They won three consecutive titles under coach José Riveiro before lifting the trophy again last season under Abdeslam Ouaddou.
For Hotto, the semi-final victory keeps alive his bid for another piece of MTN8 history. Having featured in every final since 2020 and won each one with Pirates, he will be aiming to add another title to his remarkable record should the Buccaneers reach the final and go on to win the competition.
