As always, Machapa was in top form as Swallows rallied to tie the scores at 1-1 in regular time, Morgan Shivambu banging in the equaliser late in the tense encounter to cancel a Pirates penalty that was scored by Daine Klate in the first half.
Extra time failed to produce the winner and when the two teams went for the dreaded penalty shootout, Pirates went on to win the match 4-2, thereby lifting their first major trophy in a decade.
This was after all Pirates takers converted their takes, while Swallows were left ruing missed chances by Siyabonga Nomvethe and Brian Mashishi.
Machapa, thrilled at playing in a Cup Final after joining the Dube Birds from Caps United during pre-season, says he wanted to lift the R8 million trophy, in which the club had promised its players a share of half the prize money.
Machapa put in a stellar performance in the semi-final, providing the cross that led to the winning goal scored by Scelo Zuma in the 3-2 second leg semi-final win over Ajax Cape Town in two weeks ago.
“For any soccer player, the number one priority is to see your team play in Cup Finals and I am no different,” said Machapa.
“I was really excited to be going into the Final with Swallows. I was very happy to be part of that final with Swallows, but the loss took all that away from me. I am not just content with reaching the final, I wanted to win the trophy. Now that this has gone, I am looking forward to us doing well in the league and possibly, reaching the final of yet another cup, added the big winger.
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News