Bucs held ahead of Soweto derby
Orlando Pirates will head into the Soweto derby against log leaders and arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs this weekend three points off the pace at the top after being held to a goalless draw by Absa Premiership rookies Chippa United on Wednesday night.
The Buccaneers seemed to have one eye on this Saturday’s big clash against the Amakhosi and were simply unable to shake off a determined Chilli Boys outfit, who will be delighted at having held the reigning league champions to a stalemate in the teams’ first ever meeting.
Round 13’s action got underway on Tuesday night and the highlight was Kaizer Chiefs cementing their grip on first place on the log with a convincing 3-0 victory over Ajax Cape Town in Polokwane, thanks to goals from Bernard Parker, Siboniso Gaxa and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
Platinum Stars, who handed Chiefs a first defeat in the league late last month, continued their excellent form and claimed third place on the log with a 1-0 away win over Maritzburg United, who themselves have had an exceptional campaign so far.
The same cannot be said of SuperSport United, who are the undoubted ‘draw kings’ this season. Matsatsantsa were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Bloemfontein Celtic – conceding a late own goal from Thabo September after Ashley Hartog’s opener – to rack up their 11th draw from just 13 matches.
Moroka Swallows are also struggling to rekindle the form that saw them end as runners-up last season. The Birds slumped to a third straight league defeat with a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Golden Arrows in Durban on Tuesday night.
Wednesday was a night of draws, as apart from Pirates’ goalless stalemate at Chippa, the ‘varsity battle’ between Bidvest Wits and University of Pretoria also ended 0-0, while Black Leopards and AmaZulu drew 1-1 in Limpopo in what was new Usuthu coach Craig Rosslee’s first match in charge.
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Free State Stars and Mamelodi Sundowns drew 1-1 in a rain-affected match at the Charles Mopeli Stadium, with Eleazar Rodgers opening the scoring for the Brazilians in the first half before Ea Lla Koto hit back through an own goal from Tebogo Langerman.
Absa Premiership round 13 results:
Tuesday 4 December
Kaizer Chiefs 3 (Parker 36’, Gaxa 66’, Tshabalala 76’) Ajax Cape Town 0
SuperSport United 1 (Hartog 66’) Bloemfontein Celtic 1 (September 89’ og)
Golden Arrows 2 (Bilankulu 25’, Machupu 90+1’) Moroka Swallows 0
Maritzburg United 0 Platinum Stars 1 (Mkhabela 53’)
Wednesday 5 December
Bidvest Wits 0 University of Pretoria 0
Chippa United 0 Orlando Pirates 0
Black Leopards 1 (Maake 39’) AmaZulu 1 (Mtshali 55’ og)
Free State Stars 1 (Langerman 74’ og) Mamelodi Sundowns 1 (Rodgers 24’)
