The Orlando Pirates defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the Soweto Derby in the Betway Premiership thanks to a cool penalty kick from Patrick Maswanganyi deep in injury time.
A contentious late penalty for the Buccaneers, converted brilliantly by Maswanganyi, gave the team in black all three points and allowed them to close the gap to leaders Mamelodi Sundowns to three points.
The match at FNB Stadium on Saturday appeared to end in a draw.
Despite having played three more games than the top two, the Amakhosi are now in fifth place, nine points behind their rivals, following their sixth loss in 15 league affairs.
As early as the second minute, Chiefs had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead when Pule Mmodi raced through on goal due to a mistake in the Pirates’ defence.
However, in his haste to go past Sipho Chaine, he gave the custodian a brief glimpse of the ball, which allowed him to make a crucial challenge.
Midway through the first half, Pirates had their first clear opportunity when Relebohile Mofokeng exploded into space in the penalty area.
However, Ignacio Miguel was able to whisk the ball clear after he attempted to cut back onto his left foot.
Tshegofatso Mabasa had a great opportunity on minute 38 when Chiefs goalie Bruce Bvuma made a weak clearance from his own penalty area, but the Pirates striker missed his attempt.
With the score tied at 0-0 at the end of the first half, the Pirates changed their strategy at the beginning of the second half by substituting Kabelo Dlamini for Mohau Nkota.
George Matlou was replaced by debutant Thabo Cele after the Chiefs delayed an additional five minutes before making their first change.
In the minutes before the hour, the Buccaneers had two chances to score, with Mabasa and Mofokeng both forcing good saves from Bvuma.
On the 76th minute, Ranga Chivaviro had a turn and shot that narrowly missed the crossbar and post.
In the last moments, the Pirates started to take more chances. Deon Hotto’s low shot was brilliantly saved by Bvuma, and Makhehlene Makhaula’s glancing header from the ensuing corner kick went just wide of the far post.
It appeared like the game would end in a draw, but deep into injury time, Mokokeng ran into the area, had Njabulo Blom yank at his shirt, and squirmed a shot wide.
The referee then pointed to the spot for a controversial penalty.
Maswanganyi took the spot kick and scored the game’s final goal (with an extraordinarily courageous “Panenka”) to give the Buccaneers the Soweto Derby victory.
The Chiefs will host AmaZulu on Tuesday, February 4, and the Pirates will travel to Sekhukhune United on Wednesday, February 5, when the teams resume Betway Premiership play next midweek.
