Pirates Cut Sundowns’ Lead To Three Points With Victory Over Durban City
Orlando Pirates moved to within three points of Betway Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns after a 2-0 win over Durban City at the Amstel Arena on Thursday night.
The defending champions extended their winning run to four league matches with goals from Lebone Seema and Tshepang Moremi, while maintaining their unbeaten start to the season.
Pirates also have two matches in hand over Sundowns, leaving them within three points of the league leaders despite having played fewer matches.
The victory was the third league meeting between Pirates and Durban City. Pirates have now won two of those encounters, including their first home victory, and have kept clean sheets in all three matches.
Seema And Moremi Break Durban City Resistance
The sides went into half-time level after an evenly contested opening 45 minutes in which both teams created opportunities but were unable to convert them.
Pirates eventually broke the deadlock in the 57th minute through Seema.
The midfielder marked his inclusion in Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana squad by scoring his second league goal of the season and giving Pirates the lead.
Moremi, who had recently returned to action but was not included in the latest Bafana Bafana squad, added a second goal in the 69th minute.
The strike gave Pirates a two-goal advantage and left Durban City facing a difficult task in the closing stages.
Chaine Marks 150th Pirates Appearance
Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine also played an important role in the victory as he made his 150th appearance for Pirates.
The shot-stopper produced several important saves to prevent Durban City from reducing the deficit and helped preserve another clean sheet for the home side.
The result extended Pirates’ unbeaten league run to 19 matches.
It also continued their strong defensive record at home. Pirates have won all three of their league matches at home this season without conceding, scoring six goals in the process.
Their latest clean sheet extended their home run without conceding to four consecutive matches, dating back to last season.
The win also represented a successful return to domestic competition for Pirates after they spent the previous two weeks focused on their continental commitments.
With four consecutive Premiership victories and two games in hand over Sundowns, Pirates have further strengthened their position near the top of the table while maintaining their unbeaten league record.
