The Soweto Derby is alive and well as 75 000 fans watched Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs battle it out in a thrilling 1-1 draw in their MTN8 semifinal first leg played at the FNB Stadium on Saturday night.
After recent criticism that the Derby had lost its shine, the two sides produced one of the best matches of recent times. It was 90 minutes of non-stop action at both ends with the sides displaying plenty of passion and pride.
Chiefs now go into the second leg at the same venue on September 26 with the advantage of scoring an away goal. This was Pirates’ official home match. Both clubs opted to use the FNB Stadium as their home ground for the semifinals as it is the biggest ground in the country and attracts more fans and more cash into both club’s coffers.
As expected, Bucs coach Ruud Krol changed his attack by replacing off-form strikers Ndumiso Mabena and Ezenwa Otorogu with Chiukepo Msowoya and Thulasizwe Mbuyane.
But the new strike combination failed to ignite and it was left to Pirates midfield dynamo Francis Chansa to score his side’s goal.
There was plenty of action in a fast-flowing opening spell in which both sides went on the offensive and the huge crowd loved it.
But a lot of the spectators were held up in a traffic jam outside the stadium.
The PSL laid on extra early trains and buses but still thousands of fans rolled in just before halftime.
Bucs edged the opening 45 minutes as they took the initiative from the kick-off. Chansa, Bucs’ industrious playmaker, forced Chiefs keeper Itumeleng Khune to make his first save of the night
within the first minute when Khune managed to stop the Zambian midfielder’s 20-metre rocket.
The match was held up for a few minutes when referee Buyile Gqubule appeared to force Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic to sit down and not stand in his technical area.
Chiefs’ first chance came in the 17th minute when Sthembiso Ngcobo skinned defender Happy Jele but Bucs goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs was equal to the task and managed to block the Amakhosi striker’s shot.
A minute later Chiefs had two scares when defender Valery Nahayo did well to divert Teko Modise’s cross for a corner and from Daine Klate’s corner Khune pulled off a great point-blank save.
Mbuyane headed over the Chiefs crossbar from another telling corner from Klate on 28 minutes.
Bucs skipper Lucky Lekgwathi wasted a chance to break the deadlock in the 33rd minute when he found himself unmarked at the far post but he headed Klate’s free kick wide when he should have
found the target.
Josephs pulled off a tremendous save from a Ngcobo thunderbolt in the 36th minute. Ngcobo, who joined Chiefs in the off-season, was a constant thorn in the Pirates’ defence.
Then, two minutes later, his teammate Knowledge Musona let lose a 30-metre tracer bullet which flew centimetres wide of the upright.
But the Bucs fans went wild two minutes after the restart when the magical Chansa slotted home for a corner to give Pirates the lead.
Amakhosi went in search of the equaliser and that all important away goal. Midfielder Mthokozisi Yende fired over the crossbar in the 51st minute while Nahayo headed a Siphiwe Tshabalala cross wide of the post three minutes later.
Chiefs pressure paid off in the 60th minute when Musona slotted home a clever cross from his captain Jimmy Tau to make it 1-1.
The goal rattled Pirates and the Buccaneers lost their shape and rhythm. Musona should have punished Pirates in the 67th minute when he was clear with only Josephs to beat but the Zimbabwean striker shot wide of the goal.
Pirates glamour boy Teko Modise looks to be a spent force. He could have made it 2-1 in the 75th minute but opted to pass the ball when he was in a good scoring position.
Later, after a powder puff shot at Khune in the 82nd minute, the Bucs fans were calling for Krol to replace the ineffective Modise.
Krol finally agreed and pulled out Modise for Clifford Ngobeni four minutes from time.
Khune showed his courage by diving at Mbuyane’s feet on 77 minutes. A minute later, Tshabalala’s pile driver screamed over the crossbar as both teams threw caution to the wind.
Bucs substitute Tlou Segolela forced Khune into another daring save in the 81st minute.
But, at the end of the night, it was a fair result and has whet the appetite for the second leg on September 26.
A fan who rushed onto the field in the referee’s optional time was quickly subdued and escorted from the ground. – Sapa