In what was a fiercely contested affair at a vibrant DHL Stadium, Cape Town City bagged maximum points in a hard-fought 1-0 win against Orlando Pirates in their latest Betway Premiership assignment on Wednesday night.
Despite Pirates dominating the possession count for much of the encounter, it was City who had the last laugh 15 minutes from time.
Moments after Patrick Maswanganyi missed a penalty in the 69th minute, City took the lead via an effort by Darwin Gonzalez and saw out the 90 minutes with their slender lead intact.
Pirates attacked early with the likes of Mohau Nkota, Relebohile Mofokeng progressing the ball up field with much success.
Also, the likes of Kabelo Dlamini and Thalente Mbatha actively searched for an opener midway through the first half as seen in their efforts from range.
The Citizens played on the backfoot for much of the first half, but often left their mark on the Pirates players with crunching tackles toward the halftime whistle.
Nevertheless, neither side were able to make their scoring chances stick in the first half.
It was more of the same for Pirates after the restart and they immediately went on the attack, as seen with attempts by Maswanganyi and Dlamini.
However, the home side looked dangerous in transitional moments, which caused Pirates to make mistakes in defensive quarters.
Pirates were given the opportunity to take the lead in the 69th minute after Maswanganyi drew a foul inside the area, which prompted the referee to point to the spot.
However, the 26-year-old failed to hold his nerve and saw his effort hit the upright.
Patrick Maswanganyi misses his spot kick 😲😲
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) January 8, 2025
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Then, in a moment that turned the tie on its head, City took the lead with 15 minutes left on the clock.
After a well-worked move into the Bucs 18-yard area, Prins Tjiueza evaded a number of Pirates defenders before picking out Gonzalez on the edge of the area, who subsequently guided the ball home with a calm right-footed finish.
The Venezuelan once again made his mark against Soweto opposition, after he scored the winning goal against Kaizer Chiefs last Sunday.
Cape Town City: (0) 1 (Gonzalez 74’)
Orlando Pirates: 0
Cape Town City: Keet, Mkhize, Fasika, Gordinho, Nyama, Mokotjo (Nodada 46’), Petrus, Gonzalez, Tjiueza (Amato 86’), Domingo (Rhodes 46’), Ahshene (Soukouna 65’)
Orlando Pirates: Chaine, Hotto, Sibisi, Sesane, van Rooyen (Monyane 63’, Mako 79’), Mbatha, Dlamini (Makgopa 79’), Mofokeng, Maswanganyi, Nkota, Mabasa (Radiopane 63’)