Orlando Pirates beat rival Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 on Sunday at King Zwelithini Stadium to kick off their 2022–23 DStv Diski Challenge season.
Similar to the previous season, the two rivals kicked off their current campaign with a Soweto Derby match, with the Buccaneers seeking vengeance after losing the same match the previous term.
Musa Magagula, a goalkeeper for the Buccaneers, who was making his first start at this level, had to make a low dive to his right in the first minute to save a potentially dangerous chance from the host team.
The opening 10 minutes of play mostly consisted of quiet football with little opportunities at either end, thus this turned out to be a rare chance to score a goal.
The breakthrough came in the 12th minute, when another rookie, Relebohile Ratomo, showed outstanding awareness to seize on a defensive blunder and made no mistake in opening the score. The next session would, however, prove to be a stark contrast to the first.
The Chiefs quickly tied the score three minutes after the youthful Buccaneers took the lead when Mduduzi Shabalala’s in-swinging corner kick was parried into the goal by Magagula.
During the middle half, the hosts were the more dominating of the two teams, as both Samukele Kabini and Ndumiso Ngiba were had to make outstanding goal-saving saves.
Just before halftime, Pirates had their greatest period of the first half. This stretch started unexpectedly when Siphamandla Mdunge found Ratomo on the outside of the box, and the rookie’s low shot into the goal restored his team’s advantage.
They increased their advantage to two goals in the last minutes of the first half when Kabini’s perseverance allowed him to capitalize on another defensive blunder and angle a shot at goal that was assisted into the goal to make it three.
The home team dominated most of the second half as Chiefs Reserves looked for a way to get back into the game.
After a 65th-minute set piece in which the ball was sent into the goal, it seemed as if they had found a way back, but the offside flag had the ultimate word.
In the 77th minute, Wandile Duba would ultimately give them a goal back, setting up a tight conclusion to the game.
The Buccaneers’ lead was maintained thanks to yet another outstanding defensive performance, this time by Seun Moremi, as the home team seemed to have equalized.
Surprise Matjeni found a way behind the defense on a rare assault at the opposite end, but the goalkeeper stopped him.
The youthful Amakhosi made a late push that made the last minutes of the game tense, but the Buccaneers were able to hang on and secure all three points in their first match.
Magagula, Spandiel, Ngiba, Ndlozi, Kabini, Molepo, Bule (Moremi 46′), Khumalo, Mdunge, Ratomo, and Nkota (Khoto 46′) make up the Pirates Reserves XI.