Da Cruz Claims Soweto Derby Goals Were ‘Gifted’ After 2-1 Defeat

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz lamented defensive mistakes following Amakhosi’s 2–1 Soweto Derby defeat to Orlando Pirates on Saturday, insisting his side “gifted” the Sea Robbers their goals while also criticising the refereeing for Pirates’ opener.

The defeat at FNB Stadium marked Chiefs’ first league loss of the season. Da Cruz argued that Pirates’ early lead stemmed from an unflagged offside against Yanela Mbuthuma.

Mbuthuma was played behind the Chiefs defence before striking a shot that took an awkward deflection off defender Thabo Moloisane, wrong-footing goalkeeper Brandon Petersen. Replays suggested Mbuthuma was offside when the initial pass was made, but referee Luxolo Badi awarded the goal after his first assistant kept his flag down.

Chiefs responded strongly and clawed their way back into the contest on the half-hour mark, with Pule Mmodi levelling the scores during a dominant first-half spell for Amakhosi.

However, the momentum shifted after the break. Chiefs intensity dropped, allowing Pirates to take control and pressure the host defence until their persistence paid off.

Thapelo Mokobodi timed his run to perfection, leaving the Chiefs backline stranded before unselfishly teeing up Tshepang Moremi to tap into an empty net and seal the 2–1 victory.

“I analysed it very clearly one more time – the first goal was offside,” said Da Cruz after the match.

“The assistant referee in front of us sees the situation as it is, and the player was offside. The second goal, as many times in the game, we lost too many balls in the middle. After that, we offered them an offensive transition to create chances.

“It is just the fact that we offered them the goals; they didn’t create them, but we offered them offensive transitions to create chances.

“This team, if you offer them an offensive transition, they can kill anybody anytime.”