Orlando Pirates endured a tough return to domestic league, going down 1-0 to Cape Town City in Wednesday’s Betway Premiership. It was a disappointing outing at DHL Stadium for the visitors, who were not short of opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.
They dropped points for only the second time this season, faltering in their attempts to go top of the table. City meanwhile grabbed another three points as they emerged victorious for the second time in as many games in 2025.
It was a contest that kicked off at a high tempo, with Pirates dominating the opening minutes. Mohau Nkota and Relebohile Mofokeng each had a go at the City goal, but neither player could find the target. Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine was also called upon early on when he was forced into a desperate stop at the other end, rushing off his line to deny Darwin Gonzales.
The visitors continued to enjoy the lion’s share of the early chances, the best of which fell to Kabelo Dlamini in the 14th minute when his shot was fingertipped onto the crossbar by Darren Keet. Thalente Mbatha gathered the rebound but could only direct his attempt at goal off-target.
Just moments later, a lucky deflection inside the box worked in favour of the City shot-stopper, resulting in a relatively easy save to make as he denied Dlamini once more. He made another stop to keep out a shot from Mbatha, with the Buccaneers continuing to pile on the pressure.
The home side occasionally ventured into the opposite end where they threatened on the half-hour mark through a long-range attempt from Namibian forward Prins Tjiueza, who could only direct his shot wide. They could have led at the break if not for Chaine, who made another vital stop to thwart Gonzales on the stroke of halftime.
The second half kicked off at a more subdued pace compared to the first, with real opportunities hard to come by. The Citizens manufactured one in the 50th minute when Jody Ah Shene managed to unleash a shot from range, with Thabiso Sesane getting an important touch to direct the ball off target.
It remained a stop-start affair until after the hour mark when the referee pointed to the spot after a foul on Patrick Maswanganyi. The Bucs playmaker took on the spot-kick responsibilities and did well to wrongfoot Keet, only to strike the upright before the veteran keeper recovered to collect the rebound.
It did not take long for Pirates to regret the missed chance as City edged ahead in the 74th minute, with Darwin Gonzales providing the decisive touch as the defence struggled to deal with a spirited charge into their territory.
The remaining minutes were dominated by the visitors’ search for parity while the hosts looked to see out the contest. Tjiueza went close to doubling the lead in the dying moments when he managed to eliminate Chaine from the equation, but his effort was kept out by Mbatha.
City were eventually successful in closing shop, condemning the Buccaneers to their first away defeat of the campaign.
