Ruthless Pirates Equal Sundowns Record As Kanalelo Pulls Brutal 21st-Minute Sub On Debut For Gallants

Orlando Pirates moved to within one point of log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns after fighting past bottom-of-the-table Marumo Gallants 2-0 in a hard-fought Betway Premiership encounter at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday.

The victory leaves Pirates on 19 points from seven matches—just a point behind Sundowns, who have played a game more.

For Gallants, the outlook remains bleak. They sit rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from seven fixtures. The match marked the debut of new head coach Ronny Kanalelo, who replaced Phuti Mohafe following Mohafe’s dismissal with the club winless after five matches.

Gallants join 14th-placed Richards Bay and 15th-placed Siwelele as the only winless sides in the division, with all three clubs having already made managerial changes this season.

Kanalelo made his presence felt early, substituting Katlego Otladisa after just 21 minutes due to frustration with the winger’s work rate, sending on Onke Moletshe in his place.

Despite their struggles, Gallants showed no fear against the defending league champions and created a major opportunity midway through the first half. A careless backpass from Kamogelo Sebelebele was intercepted near the center circle by Etemesi Injili, but Pirates defender Nkosikhona Ndaba tracked back brilliantly to deny the Kenyan striker.

Gallants’ stubborn resistance was finally broken in the 32nd minute. Kabelo Kgositsile latched onto a cushioned flick from Thapelo Mokobodi to beat Emile Labo at the far post. It was Kgositsile’s first league goal of the campaign and his second in as many weeks, following his strike against La Cure Waves in the CAF Champions League preliminary round in the second leg last weekend.

Gallants had an immediate chance to equalize when Msindisi Kunene broke clear, but he failed to convert past Sipho Chaine. It proved a costly miss against a dominant Pirates side, who extended their unbeaten away record to 20 matches—equaling Mamelodi Sundowns’ historic league record set in 2021.

Kgositsile, who constantly energized the crowd, almost doubled the lead before halftime but dragged his effort wide. Pirates squandered another opportunity in the 72nd minute when Simphiwe Masilela fired wide after hard work from Mbuthuma to win possession.

Two minutes later, Pirates sealed the points. Mokobodi delivered another pinpoint corner, allowing Nkosinathi Sibisi to rise highest and head home the second goal. It was the defender’s first goal of the season, having failed to score during Pirates’ treble-winning campaign last term.

With the international break now underway, Pirates trail Sundowns by a single point. The two titans will return to domestic action in a high-stakes showdown when they clash in the MTN8 final on 10 October.