Pirates edge out struggling Chippa to keep Champions League hopes alive

The race for the DStv Premiership second spot is intensifying and Orlando Pirates remain in the discussions for the Caf Champions League. 

The Buccaneers claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over struggling Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to move to second spot on the log standings because of a superior goal difference. 

Pirates leapfrogged SuperSport United, who beat TS Galaxy 2-0 at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) on Friday, to second place with five matches remaining. 

The other team in the reckoning for second spot is Kaizer Chiefs who played against Marumo Gallants in the late kickoff on Saturday night at FNB Stadium. 

While Pirates stay in the race for the right to play in the Champions League next season, Chippa remain third from the bottom and they are worryingly three points adrift from tail-enders Gallants. 

Pirates registered their fourth straight win, which is their best league run since December/January 2020 when they won six in a row under then coach Josef Zinnbauer and kept a clean sheet.  

Chippa have failed to register a win in their last six league matches, a run that includes four losses and two draws, and have not won at home since January. 

Chippa coach Kurt Lentjies made two changes to the team that held SuperSport to a 1-1 draw last weekend with goalkeeper Loydt Kazapua replacing Stanley Nwabali. 

The other change was in the midfield where Thabiso Lebitso started in the place of Ronaldo Maarman while Pirates coach José Riveiro went with the same team that beat Richards Bay also last weekend. 

Under rainy conditions and a good crowd in Gqeberha , Pirates were the first to settle down in the match and it came as no surprise when they took the lead after 20 minutes from the effort of Kabelo Dlamini. 

Dlamini found himself in a good position inside the box to sweetly connect with a clever short pass from winger Monnapule Saleng for his first goal of the season. 

It didn’t take too long and the Buccaneers increased their lead through Thembinkosi Lorch, who beat the offside trap, to put the ball past Kazapua and also register his first goal of the season. 

To react to their situation, Lentjies made changes at the start of the second half with Azola Ntsabo and Maarman coming on for Jenovane September and Ronald Pfumbidzai. 

But those changes did not bring the desired outcomes as they will be involved in the relegation dogfight over the coming weeks. 

Chippa came closest to registering their name on the scoresheet after 54 minutes but Etiosa Ighodaro’s pinpoint header was saved by diving Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine. 

In the other match on Saturday, Golden Arrows managed a hard-fought 1-0 win over a ten-man Richards Bay to move into the top eight at the King Zwelithini Stadium. 

Arrows’ goal was scored by Ryan Moon in the 6th minute when he headed home a well-taken corner kick from Knox Mutizwa. 

After conceding the early goal, Richards Bay’s recovery mission was made difficult by the fact that Abel Mabaso was red-carded in the 37th minute. 

Elsewhere on Saturday, Sekhukhune United beat Maritzburg United 1-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium through a goal by midfielder Sibusiso Vilakazi. 

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