BBK UNPLUGGED | After Maswanganyi magic, big week looms for Pirates, Sundowns

The dream fixture of the South Africa football calendar needed something special to spare the capacity crowd from the disappointment of returning home without witnessing a goal.

When it looked decidedly destined to end as a highly entertaining goalless deadlock, up stepped Patrick Maswanganyi to deliver a moment of magic right at the death as Orlando Pirates snatched a Soweto derby victory via a solitary strike. Except it was not just a strike, but a daring delivery the deftness of which even the great Jomo Sono can never deny.

If he dared to, at least another No 10 jersey of indisputable quality, a certain Zinedine Zidane, would approve with admiring applause. Maswanganyi has scored some special goals.

For country, the turn and shoot for Bafana Bafana against Uganda in the Afcon 2025 qualifier ranks high on the list of his fine finishes.

For club, Maswanganyi drew inspiration from Zidane, and pulled a prank on Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma like the one the bald Frenchman played to make a buffoon of Italian gloveman Gianluigi Buffon with an iconic panenka in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin.

In a throwback to one of the all-time great stories of the game of billions, Maswanganyi chose to be bolder and braver than a gladiator inside the Calabash colosseum using his special weapon, his trusted left foot, to send the spot-kick right down the middle. It sparked a celebration louder than the one that greeted Andrés Iniesta’s extra-time goal that handed Spain their one and only Fifa World Cup against Holland in the same arena 15 years ago.

Scoring the stoppage-time spot-kick was a moment of redemption for Maswanganyi, coming as it did just a few weeks after his penalty against Cape Town City ricocheted off the upright and a relieved Darren Keet gathered in a match where Pirates lost precious points in their pursuit to prise the Betway Premiership title from swashbuckling Mamelodi Sundowns.

It was dubbed the ‘youth derby’ owing to the expectation that the young brigade of both clubs — the 20-year-old duo of Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota facing off against Chiefs’ Mduduzi Shabalala, 21, and Mfundo Vilakazi, who turns 20 in November — were expected to be fielded.

By their standards, the youngsters were subdued, somewhat overwhelmed by the occasion. Nkota was made so listless by a brilliant Rushwin Dortley he was substituted. Though Mofokeng was not his usual live wire self, he had a huge impact in influencing the outcome — Maswanganyi’s moment of the match was a direct result of Njabulo Blom’s foul of Mofokeng. Vilakazi came off the bench late in the second half.

It was a derby of many firsts. Nabi broke his virginity as the Tunisian presided over his first Soweto derby. His January transfer window signings, midfielder Thabo Cele and Democratic Republic of the Congo winger Glody Lilepo, also made their bow for Chiefs as second-half substitutes. Nothing can be gleaned with authority from cameo roles, but they showed glimpses of being an upgrade addition to the Chiefs stock.

Deflated by defeat at the jaws of a draw, Nabi had a lot positives to draw from as the derby defied the form book. Many predicted a Chiefs that has blown hot and cold to be cannon fodder for Jose Riveiro’s high-riding Pirates. Chiefs produced a spirited and disciplined display, showing a solidity and energy that robbed Pirates of room to settle into their stride.

It was a big day for Bvuma, who made a strong statement in staking the claim for Chiefs' No 1 shirt. Until Maswanganyi’s panenka, Bvuma had pulled off saves worthy of earning a point for Amakhosi. He made a serious case for the coaches to continue to consider the club’s first choice between the sticks.

It was a confidence booster for Nabi’s project. The injection of two signings does not a summer make. Cele and Lilepo are potent pieces to the puzzle. More must follow for Chiefs to reach the competitive heights of Sundowns, Pirates, Stellenbosch, Sekhukhune and Polokwane City, teams that have performed better than Amakhosi in recent years.

For Riveiro, Saturday's victory was enough to reduce the gap to three points behind log leaders Sundowns on the standings and hang on the coattails of the defending champions. But Miguel Cardoso’s men restored the six-point gap with an emphatic 4-0 thrashing of a beyond blunt Golden Arrows on Sunday night.

It is all up to Pirates to keep the pressure on Sundowns if they are to banish the theme of being bridesmaids. To this end, Wednesday night will be crucial for the title race between the Buccaneers and the Brazilians. The former are away to Sekhukhune United at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium while the latter will clash in the battle for the capital against crosstown rivals SuperSport United at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.

Then of course, Sundowns play host to Pirates at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. This has the makings of a defining week in domestic football as the chase to become the first team to bag the R20m Betway Premiership champions' cheque hots up.