Orlando Pirates turned in a gritty display on home turf, bagging all three points on offer as they marked their return to the Betway Premiership with a 2-0 win over SuperSport United at Orlando Pirates on Tuesday night.
A goal in each half sealed the victory for the Buccaneers, who maintained their perfect start to the 2024/25 with their fourth win in as many matches.
They went into the clash against their Gauteng rivals looking to put aside the disappointment of the past weekend’s early cup exit.
Top spot in the league standings also beckoned with Jose Riveiro’s men featuring among the first teams on show as league football marked its return after a long hiatus.
It did not take long for the home side to stamp their mark, striking with a decisive touch almost immediately after the first whistle. The opener was courtesy of Evidence Makgopa, who got on the end of a pinpoint ball from deep delivered by Thabiso Sesane before chipping it past United goalkeeper Ricardo Goss to make it 1-0 inside two minutes.
There were further opportunities to stretch the lead early on in the contest with Makgopa getting another bite at the cherry before Mohau Nkota conjured up a chance for Mofokeng with an excellent long ball.
Neither player could find the net as United limited the damage to just one goal conceded amid an early onslaught from the home side.
Meanwhile, Bucs shot-stopper Sipho Chaine was not kept entirely quiet as he had to contend with shots from Vincent Pule and Lyle Lakay around the 25-minute mark, coming out on top on both occasions.
Shots on target continued to elude the hosts for the remainder of the first half. This was despite attempts from Deano van Rooyen and Nkota, who both misfired while looking to add a second.
United had a sniff at the Bucs goal on the stroke of halftime through good link-up play between Tashreeq Morris and Pule, with the former Bucs midfielder only managing a tame shot that made for an easy save for Chaine.
Having been handed a lifeline late in the first period, Pirates resumed their search for their second as they seamlessly pushed deep into opposition territory.
However, they could not find the finishing touch with Nkota going over the bar from close range in the 53rd minute after benefiting from superb interplay between Mofokeng and Patrick Maswanganyi.
The toiled continued with Goss largely untroubled as Makgopa headed wide from an excellent Van Rooyen cross before Innocent Maela threaded a neat ball for Mofokeng, who was dispossessed while looking to set himself up for a shot.
Maintaining a slim lead into injury time, the Buccaneers looked as if they were headed for a nervy finish as United enjoyed some bright moments towards the end.
This was only until Deon Hotto created breathing space for his side with a brilliant left-footed curler from outside the box which went beyond an outstretched Goss into the back of the net.
Pirates had no issues in safely navigating the remaining seconds as they calmly saw out the game to take three points that sent them up to the top of the standings.
