Saturday morning at Princess Magogo Stadium, the Orlando Pirates Reserves secured their third consecutive victory by defeating Golden Arrows 2-0 in a DStv Diski Challenge match.
The Bucs Reserves aimed for a hat-trick of victories against the Arrows, who had earned a single point in each of their previous two contests.
Early in the first half, Allesandro Du Plessis was called upon by the home team, which was off to a strong start.
The Pirates had several promising moments driving forward, but they were unable to create clear-cut opportunities against a dogged Arrows defense.
Siyanda Mthanti might have given the home team the lead in the first half when he maneuvered inside the penalty area to set himself up for a shot but hit the crossbar instead.
The Buccaneers withstood early pressure in the opening minutes of the second half, as Du Plessis made a number of outstanding stops to keep the home team scoreless.
At the hour mark, they presented a threat of their own, with Mohau Nkota forcing a save from Arrows goalkeeper Nqobani Langa, before the crossbar again stepped in as the two teams exchanged blows.
Second-half replacement Surprise Matjeni gave some spark as time ran out by testing the goalkeeper twice in quick succession.
Eight minutes before the final whistle, Jabulani Mokone scored the game-winning goal with a long-range effort from the right side of the field, leaving Langa with no chance.
The Buccaneers doubled their lead just seconds after the resumption of play when Siphamandla Mdunge produced a wonderful cross from the right into the path of Matjeni, who did not make an error this time as he finished comfortably from close range.
With no time for Arrows to mount a comeback, Pirates maintained their lead and have now earned nine points in their last three games, with one match remaining before the end-of-year break.
Pirates Reserves XI: Du Plessis, Mokone, Mohlala, Ndlozi, Kabini, Molepo, Mndebele (Moremi 20’), Khumalo (Bule 58’), Khoto (Mdunge 70’), Nkota (Matjeni 70’), Ratomo.