Orlando Pirates suffered defeat on their return to the Betway Premiership, going down 1-0 to Sekhukhune United at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.
It was an unwanted bump on the road for the Buccaneers in their charge for league honours, while their opponents closed the gap between second and third in the standings to just two points.
Back in Soweto after a testing trip to Cairo, Orlando Pirates were eager to put the disappointment of the past week behind them with a commanding performance at home.
They met a determined Sekhukhune United side and had to contend with an early surge inside their half as the visitors got off to a promising start.
No real early chances
Having escaped the early onslaught without a change to the scorecard, the home side took a while to find any real chances as they grew into the contest.
Thalente Mbatha had a shot in the 18th minute, but only managed to drag his effort from outside the box wide of the target.
Bandile Shandu then managed to find a way past the defence a few minutes later, getting on the end of a chip from Relebohile Mofokeng before poking it well off target with only goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner to beat.
The Babina Noko shot-stopper was called upon to make a few saves around the half-hour mark, denying Kabelo Dlamini from a well-struck free-kick before keeping out a low shot from Mofokeng soon after.
The forward momentum stayed with Orlando Pirates throughout the remainder of the first half, with Mbatha getting another chance to find the opener on the stroke of half-time without finding a way past Leaner.
The second half began with a flurry of opportunities for the Soweto giants.
Mohau Nkota was the first to line up a shot seconds after the restart as he blasted wide from outside the box.
The follow-up attempts from Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Evidence Makgopa all yielded similar results as the Buccaneers intensified their pursuit for the opener.
The missed chances came back to haunt almost immediately as Sekhukhune United capitalised on their first real opportunity to push ahead.
They took the lead following their first set piece of the second period, with defender Tresor Tshibwabwa finding the crucial touch to make it 1-0.
In their efforts to draw level once more, rhythm eluded the Buccaneers at crucial moments.
At the same time, the visitors’ defence held up well against desperate efforts from the home side who were denied clear-cut opportunities inside their attacking third.
Orlando Pirates were dealt a further blow late in the contest when they were reduced to 10 men with five minutes of regulation time left to navigate.
Defender Nkosinathi Sibisi was the man sent packing after picking up his second yellow card in the game.
It further complicated their attempts at a comeback, while Sekhukhune United looked to make the most of their one-man advantage in the dying moments.
They could have done so with seemingly goalbound efforts from Thabang Monare and Andre Boyeli, but Chaine stood firm as he pulled off a couple of excellent stops to keep Orlando Pirates in the game.
Time had the final say in the end as the scoreline remained unchanged when the final whistle was blown.
This condemned Orlando Pirates to a rare defeat at the Orlando Stadium and their second loss on the bounce ahead of the weekend’s Soweto derby.
Matches in hand
The Buccaneers now trail log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 12 points, although they do have two matches in hand.
Should Orlando Pirates win their remaining seven league matches, they will pick up a further 21 points and end the season on 67 points.
Masandawana currently boast 58 points – and a far superior goal differential.
Mamelodi Sundowns need 10 further points from their remaining five fixtures to make mathematically certain of being crowned champions of South Africa – yet again.
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