Orlando Pirates extended their winning streak in the Betway Premiership with a commanding 3-0 victory over Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Soweto giants made it three consecutive wins to climb up to fifth on the log with nine points, heading into the Fifa international break. For the Chilli Boys, the defeat compounded their troubles as they remain winless, bottom of the table, and now on a four-game losing streak.
Early dominance pays off
From the first whistle, the Buccaneers looked sharper and more composed, pressing Chippa high and forcing early errors. Stanley Nwabali, the Nigerian international between the posts for Chippa, was called into action inside the first minute, tipping away Oswin Appollis’ dangerous cross.
The breakthrough came just eight minutes in. Patrick Maswanganyi intercepted a poor attempt to play out from the back and coolly slotted the ball past Nwabali to hand Pirates the lead. Two minutes later, Maswanganyi almost doubled his tally, only for Nwabali to pull off another sharp save.
Appollis then turned creator, setting up Deon Hotto in the 42nd minute after pouncing on a loose pass. The Namibian winger made no mistake, firing in at the near post to give the visitors a 2-0 cushion at the break.
Appollis orchestrates, Moremi seals the win
The second half carried the same theme: Pirates in control, Chippa struggling to find rhythm. In the 65th minute, Appollis once again showed his class, threading a neat pass to second-half substitute Tshepang Moremi. The youngster calmly slotted home to notch his first goal in Pirates colours and put the result beyond doubt.
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was full of praise for his team’s display: “The boys showed maturity, even after missing the penalty. We kept control, kept pressing, and the goals came. That’s the level we want to maintain.”
Maswanganyi injury scare
Pirates’ only concern was the sight of Maswanganyi being stretchered off in the second half after an awkward fall. Ouaddou admitted afterwards: “It’s always worrying when a key player goes off like that, but we’ll assess and hope for good news.”
Eymael’s debut ends in defeat
For Chippa, it was another dismal afternoon. Having recently parted ways with Sinethemba Badela after a disagreement with Sporting Director Sinesipho Mali, newly appointed coach Luc Eymael’s first game at the helm ended in disappointment.
Eymael didn’t mince his words after the match: “We gifted them goals. At this level, you cannot make those mistakes against a team like Pirates. We need to be sharper, more disciplined.”
Chippa’s risky approach of trying to play out from the back again came under fire, echoing what pundits had already warned in the build-up. As one analysis piece noted, “It’s suicidal”, with their tactics repeatedly gifting opponents easy openings.
What’s next
With Pirates’ morale high, Ouaddou will now prepare his men for the MTN8 final in Nelspruit on September 13, where they face Stellenbosch FC.
For Chippa, rooted at the bottom of the log, the international break may offer Eymael much-needed time to reorganise a team struggling for confidence, structure, and points.
