There is a special kind of noise that follows a team back to the summit, a blend of relief and ambition, and it was ringing through Moses Mabhida Stadium as Orlando Pirates vs Durban City ended 2-0 to the Buccaneers. The visitors took their chance, punished their hosts, and then kept their nerve when the game frayed at the edges. It was the performance of a side that understands what first place asks of you and what it costs to keep it.
With two crisp finishes and a relentless second half, Pirates moved to the top of the Betway Premiership table. They are three points clear of Mamelodi Sundowns after 12 matches each, a position head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou views as a starting point rather than a destination. This was not the day to crown anything, it was the day to reinforce standards and to show that the team can decide a match on tough away ground.
Evidence Makgopa’s timing inside the box set the tone for the afternoon. The striker arrived at the right moment to turn in Relebohile Mofokeng’s cross in the 22nd minute, a move born of patience and incision. Patrick Maswanganyi supplied the insurance in the 77th minute, and by the time Durban City were reduced to ten men after Sphamandla Ncanana’s second yellow card, the outcome had the symmetry it deserved for a disciplined Pirates display.
First half swings and a halftime reset
Durban City had their chance to rattle Pirates early. In the third minute Mfanafuthi Mkhize rose unmarked and glanced a header just wide, a warning that might have rewritten the narrative if it had found the corner. For long stretches of the first half, the visitors had the better of the ball, yet City carved enough openings to believe they could leave with something. Ouaddou did not like what he saw in that spell, not the tempo, not the attitude.
His halftime message mixed belief with blunt honesty. He reminded his players of their quality, then challenged them to show it. In his words to reporters, the coach described how he had to choose the right tone to ensure the same group that wobbled before the break could come out with a more assertive rhythm.
When you know your players well and you understand their qualities, you also know they cannot just lose those qualities in 45 minutes. The most important thing is to choose the right words to awaken those qualities again.
There were tweaks and there was a jolt. Ouaddou spoke of adjusting positions, of sharpening movement and the connection between lines. Just as importantly, he demanded a shift in mentality. Half-time became a line in the sand, and the response after the interval vindicated the approach.
We made some tactical adjustments in the positions of the players, how they have to move, the connection between the lines and between the sectors of the team. But we also had to change their attitude. I was not so happy about their attitude, and I told them that. It’s very important to be honest with these players.
I think the words were strong at half-time, and the players managed to shut my mouth in the second half because they gave me the right answer. I was happy about the performance after the break.
Key moments that shaped the match
- City’s early header from Mkhize flashed wide and let Pirates breathe,
- Makgopa’s neat tap-in from Mofokeng’s low cross broke the tension after 22 minutes,
- Maswanganyi’s second gave Pirates control, then Ncanana’s red card removed any late jeopardy.
How Pirates turned the screw after the break
From the restart, Pirates lifted their speed. Tshepang Moremi tested Darren Keet at the 50-minute mark with a driven effort that the goalkeeper beat away. The visitors played higher and cleaner between the lines, the very connections Ouaddou referenced becoming more visible with every passing attack. When the hour approached, Keet created chaos by trying to dribble past Makgopa, who outmuscled him and sought Mofokeng in the area before City scrambled clear. It was a reminder that pressure forces errors and that tempo can be a form of defending.
The second goal felt like the inevitable result of that improved cadence. Maswanganyi arrived to apply the finish that put distance between the sides in the 77th minute. The move was as important psychologically as it was on the scoreboard. With the cushion in place, Pirates could manage the final stages and keep their structure on a day when small lapses might have opened the door. Maswanganyi was then booked, a moment that would carry immediate consequences for what comes next.
Ouaddou message about humility and focus
Top of the table is a view to enjoy briefly, and a test to embrace permanently. Ouaddou was quick to underline that distinction. He praised the collective work that got Pirates here, then cut to the truth every leader knows, that the greater demand lies in staying there. He framed the quality of the league, the strength of rivals, and the trap of complacency as the real opponents now.
I think any coach who is training such a big club, it’s his target to top the table. So, of course, it was our target, not only mine, but it’s a collective work. It’s a good thing to reach, at this time of the season, that position.
The most difficult thing is to stay in that position. And to stay in that position, we have to keep working to stay humble because there are a lot of very good sides, very good teams in this PSL. The level is very high.
And if you are not focused, if you stop working, if you think that you already win the title, it can be very difficult.
Selection calls and tactical tweaks
There was thought behind the teamsheet too. Ouaddou made four changes from the side that beat Chippa United in midweek. Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Nkosikhona Ndaba, Maswanganyi, and Evidence Makgopa came in for Lebone Seema, Deon Hotto, Sipho Mbule, and Yanela Mbuthuma. The balance of the XI showed an intent to control central spaces while preserving pace in wide areas, and the blend paid off as the match tilted in Pirates’ favour.
Possession figures favoured the visitors and, even though Durban City created enough opportunities to dream of a point, the match management belonged to the Buccaneers. The first goal came from calm movement and a precise cross from the left. The second, from persistence and better spacing between midfield and attack. Those ingredients were missing in patches of the first half, then visible and decisive later, which explained the manager’s satisfaction with the response.
Makgopa’s presence and the risk that backfired for City
Games turn on the choices you make under pressure. When Keet tried to play past Makgopa, the striker’s strength turned a half-chance into a scramble that nearly brought the killer second earlier than it arrived. That sequence summed up Makgopa’s afternoon, busy in the press, alive in the area, and clinical when the one clear chance fell his way. Evidence Makgopa did exactly what hit men are picked to do away from home, he quieted a stadium and kept defenders honest.
On the other side, City’s late dismissal made a difficult assignment harder. Ncanana’s second booking underlined a match that had slipped beyond the hosts by then. Even so, their front-foot intent ahead of the interval and that early Mkhize header suggested a team with bite, one that might yet trouble opponents if they sharpen their finishing and keep their discipline.
What the win means for the title race
There are league tables and there are statements of intent. This was both. Pirates are three points clear of Mamelodi Sundowns at the summit after 12 matches each, an edge that will mean little if not tended with care. The message from the touchline is unmistakable, humility and work are now non-negotiables. In a Premiership stocked with strong outfits, it is the focus between fixtures that often separates hopefuls from champions. Top spot is a privilege that demands more of everything.
Attention turns to Carling Knockout final
The league can rest for now. This was Pirates’ final Premiership match of the year, and the calendar flips quickly to a shot at more silverware. Next up is Marumo Gallants in the Carling Knockout final at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday, a stage that carries its own pressure. The Buccaneers will be without Maswanganyi, suspended after collecting his fourth yellow card of the campaign against City, which presents a selection puzzle to solve.
Ouaddou did not hide that his mind has already started to map that occasion. The satisfaction of a job well done in Durban came with a swift pivot. Marumo Gallants will face a Pirates team that has learned to adapt in the moments that matter, a trait that travels well into finals.
We finished well and I have to check the log, but I think it’s good for our fans, our club. I will congratulate them, but for now I want to focus to the final. I will shake their hands but tonight my focus in on the final.
The bigger picture of Pirates season trajectory
This is a squad that already lifted the MTN8 at the start of the season, beating Stellenbosch to hand Ouaddou his first trophy at the club. The domestic form since a stuttering August has been imposing. Pirates have not lost a domestic match in any competition since dropping their first two league games of the campaign, a streak that has bred resilience and clarity. In continental play, the one notable blemish arrived when they exited the Caf Champions League in the final qualifying round against FC St Eloi Lupopo, a result that sharpened their domestic focus.
That arc matters because it speaks to evolution rather than mere momentum. Early setbacks can harden a team or fracture it. Here, they appear to have consolidated belief. The rotation choices, the halftime interventions, the insistence on humility, all are consistent with a club intent on building towards May. Consistency is the most valuable currency at the top, and Pirates are spending it wisely right now.
Durban City perspective and what they showed
Defeat stings, more so when there were moments to change the story. City slipped to eighth, yet for stretches they played with ambition and found ways to test the league leaders. Mkhize’s early header, the surges before halftime, and the late attempts to press from midfield hinted at a side with more to give if they tidy their details. The late red card and the missed early chance will serve as reference points in the coming weeks.
There is value in measuring up against the front-runners. City saw how little margin there is for error when the opponent is efficient. They also saw that application and bravery can tilt a big game toward a toss-up if sustained over 90 minutes. For now, the tale belongs to Pirates, but City contributed enough to ensure the match felt like a contest rather than a procession. Durban City will leave knowing the gap is bridgeable on another day.
A statement in Durban and the hard part ahead
The verdict is simple. Orlando Pirates were more clinical, more composed, and more convincing when it mattered. They took the lead, survived the waves, then imposed their will. Ouaddou’s words after full time carried the right weight for a team that has moved to the summit, celebrate the stride, then lower your head and take the next one. The Carling Knockout final is around the corner, followed by a new year that will ask for everything they have learned.
Staying at the top is a daily commitment to the unglamorous, and Pirates look ready to embrace that grind. The travelling fans who roared at Moses Mabhida saw goals, grit, and growth. If that blend holds, there will be more nights like this, and perhaps, by season’s end, more than just nights to remember. Now comes the test, keeping the view and proving that this was the beginning of something, not the peak.
