“No Time To Celebrate!” Maswanganyi And Pirates Send Brutal Message To Sundowns In Title Race
Orlando Pirates kept the Betway Premiership title race alive on Saturday, brushing aside Magesi FC 3-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium to ensure the fight for the crown goes down to the wire.
The victory moved the Buccaneers to 65 points—a new club record in the PSL era. They currently trail log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by three points, but crucially, Abdeslam Ouaddou’s men hold a game in hand. With both giants capable of finishing on a maximum of 71 points, the title will almost certainly be decided by goal difference.
Pirates were under immense pressure to respond after Sundowns had temporarily moved six points clear earlier in the day with a chaotic 7-4 victory over Siwelele.
The Buccaneers wasted no time asserting their dominance, taking the lead in the eighth minute through Patrick Maswanganyi. In a telling sign of the team’s focus, Maswanganyi eschewed celebrations, immediately demanding the ball from the net to restart play—clearly mindful of the importance of goal difference.
The pressure told again in the 15th minute when Kamogelo Sebelebele doubled the advantage with a clinical left-footed strike from the edge of the area. Like Maswanganyi before him, Sebelebele hurried the ball back to the center line, signaling Pirates’ intent to rack up a massive scoreline against a retreating Magesi side.
Magesi, rooted to the bottom of the log, offered little resistance and adopted a purely defensive posture. Pirates nearly added a third early in the second half when Maswanganyi lofted a sublime ball to Deon Hotto, but the Namibian international flashed his effort wide.
The third goal eventually arrived in the 60th minute after Sebelebele drew a foul from Mzwandile Buthelezi inside the area. Referee Thando Ndzandzeka pointed to the spot, and Oswin Appollis coolly dispatched the penalty.
While Pirates took their foot off the pedal in the closing stages, the 3-0 result was more than enough to secure the points and a historic milestone for their goalkeeper.
Sipho Chaine kept his 19th clean sheet of the league season, officially breaking the PSL record of 18 previously held by Ronwen Williams (2022/23).
With the gap at the top back to three points, all eyes now turn to Tuesday, where a slip-up by Sundowns against TS Galaxy could hand the Buccaneers the ultimate advantage.
