Two sides arrived at FNB Stadium without a league defeat between them. Only one of them left that way. Ten minutes into the second half, Tshepang Moremi found an empty net, and the black-and-white half of Soweto had its Saturday night sorted.
Orlando Pirates 2, Kaizer Chiefs 1. That is the Soweto Derby result: Pirates, Chiefs and a log with a new name at the top. It was 1-1 at half-time. The win lifts Pirates to 25 points from nine games, above Mamelodi Sundowns, and hands Chiefs their first league defeat of the season. The score and the scorers come from the full-time reports of Afrik-Foot and Pan Africa Football, matched by Soccer Bullet’s.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Result | Orlando Pirates 2-1 Kaizer Chiefs |
| Half-time | Orlando Pirates 1-1 Kaizer Chiefs |
| Pirates goals | Yanela Mbuthuma 24′, Tshepang Moremi 55′ |
| Chiefs goal | Pule Mmodi 30′ |
| Venue | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Competition | Betway Premiership |
| Coaches | Abdeslam Ouaddou (Pirates), Fernando Da Cruz (Chiefs) |
Six minutes, two goals and a rare mistake
Chiefs had the first real look at goal. Inside the opening quarter of an hour, Mduduzi Shabalala slipped Wandile Duba through, and the shot went straight at Sipho Chaine.
Pirates struck first instead. On 24 minutes Yanela Mbuthuma scored, with Thapelo Mokobodi credited with the set-up in Afrik-Foot’s report. Pan Africa Football has the shot taking a deflection off Thabo Moloisane on its way in.
Then came the moment Chiefs supporters will replay all week. Six minutes later Chaine spilled a cross from Mfundo Vilakazi, and Pule Mmodi was there to equalise. Pan Africa Football called it a rare error, and it was. The teams went in level at 1-1.
Soweto Derby result: Pirates, Chiefs and the winner
The second half belonged to Pirates. On 55 minutes Mokobodi turned provider again, by Afrik-Foot’s account, and Moremi tapped into an empty net.
Chiefs’ best chance to answer fell to Duba again. He went through one-on-one midway through the half, and this time Chaine stood tall and won the duel, a measure of amends for the equaliser.
Afrik-Foot reports that Chiefs finished with ten men, centre-back Inacio Miguel sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time.
Why it matters
The log has a new leader, at least for a few hours. Pirates have 25 points from nine games. Sundowns, on 23 from nine, host Durban City at 20:15 tonight, so a win would put them back above Pirates before the night is out.
For Chiefs, the result stings in a particular way. They came into the derby unbeaten in the league, with three wins and five draws from eight games, as our Soweto Derby preview set out. They stay on 14 points, now 11 behind Pirates, and Afrik-Foot has them still fifth.
It also keeps a run going for Ouaddou: Pirates have still not lost a derby since he took charge.
Our view: this was a derby settled by the forwards’ finishing and one goalkeeper’s bad moment, and it says a lot about Orlando Pirates that they did not let the equaliser rattle them. For Chiefs there is encouragement in how often Duba got in behind. But five draws had already cost them points, and on Saturday the chances that went begging cost them the unbeaten run. Da Cruz needs those chances to start going in.
Moremi, the forward we featured in One to Watch, scored twice in the cup against Milford on Tuesday and settled the derby on Saturday. The rivalry’s longer story is in our guide to the Soweto Derby and our history of Kaizer Chiefs.
What comes next
Both clubs have home quarter-finals in the knockout cup still to come: Pirates against Sekhukhune United and Chiefs against Siwelele. Pirates then start their CAF Champions League group on the weekend of 27 November. Tonight, all eyes in Soweto turn to Rustenburg and Mamelodi Sundowns.