Mbuthuma nets brace as Orlando Pirates rout Kruger United
The victory saw Pirates move three points clear of the second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns.
On Tuesday evening, Orlando Pirates secured a 4-0 victory over Kruger United at the Mbombela Stadium, keeping their unbeaten record against newly-promoted teams intact. This win marked the Buccaneers' third consecutive win against sides who have been promoted to the elite league. The victory propelled Pirates three points ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, who will face Milford FC on Wednesday night. Kruger United remained winless after five games and now sit at the bottom of the Betway Premiership table after the defeat.
Ghampani Lungu opened the scoring for Pirates in the fourth minute, converting a penalty after Sebelebele was fouled inside the box. Lungu's goal led directly to Fiacre Ntwari's substitution, where he left the field on a stretcher due to a hamstring injury. Oswin Appollis replaced the injured player.
Boitumelo Malatjie had a chance to level the score in the 19th minute, but Aphiwe Mphothe's header from the crossbar failed to find the back of the net. Pirates dominated the latter stages of the half, creating several goal-scoring opportunities, including a late penalty appeal that was denied. Mphothe's header was ruled off-target by the referee.
In the second half, Kruger attempted to equalize, but their efforts were in vain. Pirates extended their lead in the 54th minute, as Boitumelo Radiopane outmaneuvered Katlego Mohamme and netted a low shot past Ntwari. Substitute Yanela Mbuthuma sealed the win with a brace in added time, capitalizing on Oswin Apollis' low cross and finding the back of the net with a well-placed chip over Ntwari.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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