Billed as the ”derby of the damned”, the showdown between traditional rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs evolved into a desperate 1-1 Premier Soccer League draw at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.
The torrid, tense and often wildly aimless game was one of two halves, but such was the striking difference in ascendancy during the two periods of play that the 50 000 spectators might have been excused for believing they were watching two different matches.
Chiefs, demonstrating more spirit and purpose than they have shown in most of their recent games, dominated the opening period against a listless Buccaneers and deservedly took the lead in the 43rd minute through a thunderous volleyed drive from burly Ivorian striker Serge Djihoua.
Although the Amakhosi were unlucky not to increase their lead in the 60th minute when a 35m shot from Arthur Zwane sped goalwards as though jet-propelled, only to strike the bottom of the crossbar and bounce back into play, it marked the beginning of the end of Chiefs’ dominance.
They lost their momentum in the second period, and after Pirates scored a scrambled 63rd-minute equaliser following what resembled a rugby loose scrum, it was the Buccaneers who gained the initiative and missed a succession of golden opportunities in the closing stages of recording the winner.
The Pirates goal followed a corner to the near post in which the Buccaneers’ Lucky Lekgwathi deflected the ball goalwards before it was bounced into the net off a Chiefs defender.
It required a brave save from Chiefs goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez to deflect a swerving, 35m angled free kick from Pirates substitute Chunene round the post in the 77th minute.
The outcome of a game at which the almost deserted suites contrasted markedly to the packed terraces is that Chiefs’ grim prospects of avoiding the ignominy of finishing out of the top eight positions in the log and failing to qualify for next season’s Supa8 tournament have only been enhanced.
The decline in both Chiefs and Pirates has prompted their army of supporters to denigrate the clubs in turn, and Buccaneers’ Democratic Republic of Congo-born coach, Bibey Mutombo, was subjected to a torrent of abuse when he pulled off crowd favourite Jabu Mahlangu in the second half.
But the double substitution helped insert more drive and purpose into Pirates’ play and without ever shedding his invariably inscrutable expression, the Pirates coach had what could be termed the last laugh.
Chiefs’ Kosta Papic, however, was not so fortunate. The coach, who initially came to South Africa to take charge of Pirates, needed his team to win the needle derby as a matter of urgency — and his future at Chiefs next season must now be considered in question. — Sapa