Kaizer Chiefs playmaker Gaston Sirino has urged the squad to take the responsibility to end the trophy drought on Saturday when they take on Orlando Pirates in a blockbuster Soweto Derby for the 2025 Nedbank Cup title.
Chiefs and Pirates will do battle for a second consecutive weekend, but this time, in Durban at the Moses Mabhida Stadium and Amakhosi come wounded, having lost the clash at FNB Stadium with a 2-1 defeat.
They are also seven games without a win in the league and in ninth place, but can take confidence that they eliminated reigning league champions Mamelodi Sundowns on their own turf, in the semi-finals of the competition.
“I feel good, it’s a good opportunity to win a trophy, I’m here [at Chiefs] to win trophies, so it’s a good opportunity, for not only me but everyone to win a final,” Sirino said.
“Everyone needs to take the responsibility, the final is here, the trophy is here but we need to play better than them [Pirates].
“Like the last game but we need to control the game more, we played well but the result wasn’t good, so we need to take the responsibility, it’s a once-off game.”
Sirino had won the league in seven consecutive season with Sundowns before joining Chiefs at the start of the 2024/25 season where he’s found himself in a squad that is in transition, looking to heal itself and rebuild the club to its former glory, after a decade without silverware.
And he stated the issues this season has been clear, it’s about not being focused on critical moments, and it’s how they have lost most games this campaign.
“Sometimes we play well, like the last game, but we lose or concede goals to easily – but I think it’s our mistakes you know, the game is with 11 players but it’s our mistakes together, we need to be more focused in the game,” he said.
“Sometimes when we score, we relax or concede a goal like the mistakes in the last game, but it’s a good opportunity to make history here and change this season.”