Late Maswanganyi penalty seals derby for Pirates

At FNB Stadium

A stoppage time penalty conceded by Kaizer Chiefs' Njabulo Blom, who pulled Relebohile Mofokeng and forced him to miscue his shot inside the box, eventually defined the Soweto derby.

Patrick Maswanganyi stepped up to convert from the spot, giving Orlando Pirates a 1-0 win here in what was a sold-out affair on Saturday. Referee Masixole Bambiso didn't hesitate to award the penalty.

It was Pirates' fourth derby win in a row as they also closed the gap on league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns to three points.

While Pirates persisted with the same starting XI they'd been using, Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi, who was coaching in the Soweto derby for the first time, decided to drop his regular left-back Bradley Cross for natural centre-back Thatayaone Ditlhokwe.

In what was quite a rare sight in this fixture, the Ghost dominated the stands with their black and white Vodacom-branded flags flying higher than those of their rivals in gold and black.

As electrifying as the atmosphere was in the stands, chaos ensued midway through the first half when several fans tried to force their way into the VIP and media section, complaining other fans were blocking their view. The security personnel that was evidently insufficient tried to diffuse the situation but failed until they called for back-up.

On the pitch, the game was somewhat evenly-matched in the first half but Amakhosi played with a sense of urgency while the Buccaneers were patient in their build-ups. The first chance of the match was a glorious one, falling for Pule Mmodi in the third minute but the Chiefs winger tried to dribble the Pirates keeper, Sipho Chiane, who reacted smartly to thwart that danger.

The chance came from a mix-up at the back, where derby debutant Thabiso Sesane failed to clear the ball. The Sea Robbers managed to get their own clear-cut opportunity in the 38th minute when Tshegofatso Mabasa collected a loose ball inside the box only for him to shoot wide.

The pitch was a bit slippery, with players like Mohau Nkota, Mduduzi Shabalala and Nkosinathi Sibisi falling unchallenged. Chiefs introduced their new signings Thabo Cele, for George Matlou, and Glody Lilepo for Shabalala.

Lilepo turned on the heat from the word go, penetrating through the right flank, where he got the better of Deano Van Rooyen. The second stanza was an end-to-end affair with both teams playing with intensity, looking to break the deadlock.

Mabasa squandered another great chance two minutes before the hour mark. Pirates would substitute him for Evidence Makgopa, who himself got a few chances in quick succession but could not get a goal.

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