"I am proud of my boys," says Abdeslam Ouaddou as Orlando Pirates reach Carling Knockout final

Despite heading into the fixture as favourites against the less-fancied Natal Rich Boys, it wasn't a one-sided fixture at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, with Tshepang Moremi scoring the only goal of the game three minutes before the end of the first half.

The victory secured the Buccaneers' place in the League Cup final for the first time since the 2018/19 season - and put them in contention for a cup double after their MTN8 success earlier this season.

Speaking after the game, an ecstatic Ouaddou told SuperSport: "I am proud of my boys.

"It was not an easy game. We played a very good team with a good coach and good organisation. We knew they would fight until the end. Cup matches are about team spirit and we saw that today.

"Three days after playing Arrows, it was not easy."

After finding a way through the Bay defence at the end of the first half, Ouaddou made a number of changes after the break in a bid to ensure the result.

"We wanted to bring freshness into the team," explained the head coach.

"We needed to make some changes to be more offensive and we brought on Rele and Kwayiba (Relebohile Mofokeng and Sinoxolo Kwayiba).

“We saw their central defenders coming with the ball, trying to break the lines, we needed someone to press (from the front) and Kwayiba did a fantastic job."

Pirates will now face one of Golden Arrows or Marumo Gallants in the final.