Pirates overcome stuttering first half to crush Kruger United
Boitumelo Radiopane put the Buccaneers 2-0 ahead after beating beating the offside trap
Orlando Pirates overcame a sluggish first half to secure a commanding 4-0 win over Kruger United, maintaining their unbeaten start in the Betway Premiership. The Buccaneers now boast four victories and a draw in their opening five league matches, putting them three points ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, who face Milford FC on Wednesday.
Early in the match, Pirates took an early lead when Kamogelo Sebelebele was awarded a penalty in the third minute after being fouled in the box. Ghampani Lungu converted the penalty from 12 yards, giving Pirates an early advantage. Kruger United put up a spirited fight, creating some promising chances for the equalizer. Aphiwe Mphote missed a header, and another attempt was cleared off the line by defender S'bangani Zulu.
The most significant missed opportunity came for Boitumelo Malatji, who was unmarked at the far post but saw his close-range shot hit the crossbar before being cleared. However, Pirates capitalized on these chances in the second half, with Boitumelo Radiopane opening the scoring after breaking the offside trap, followed by Yanela Mbuthuma adding a second goal after coming off the bench. Mbuthuma completed his brace, solidifying the big victory for Orlando Pirates.
Written by urgent.news from SABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
