Orlando Pirates have been crowned DStv Diski Challenge champions for the first time ever after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns on the last day of the season at a packed Dobsonville Stadium.
The league decider between Pirates and Sundowns went down at at Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday.
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The game started with high intensity, with Sundowns’ talisman Benett Mokoena taking a free-kick, but Bucs keeper Zulu Bayanda saved it.
In the 24th minute, Pirates suffered a blow when Joy Manana was replaced by Chatburn Lyle after suffering an injury.
With five minutes before half-time, the Buccaneers opened the scoring from a corner kick which found Christian Derbyshire who made it 1-0 with a powerful header.
Three minutes later, the Buccaneers doubled their lead through Mpho Padime from the penalty spot after Ratsi Oratile was fouled in the box by Masisi Tshiamo.
Pirates went into the break leading 2-0, meaning Sundowns needed four goals to overturn things in the second half, while Pirates were just 45 minutes away from their first-ever DDC title.
Pirates came knocking for a third goal in the second half but Sundowns’ defense remained resilient. After an hour Sundowns tried to find their opening goal but Pirates’ defense didn’t give them enough space.
With 13 minutes remaining before the final whistle, Pirates were awarded a penalty after Seth Green was brought down by the goalkeeper Nqobani. Captain Jabu Mokone stepped up to take the penalty, but Nqobani saved it to keep the scoreline at 2-0.
However, it didn’t change much, as Pirates secured their first-ever DDC league title in the 11 years of the league’s presence. The Buccaneers finished the league with 77 points, six ahead of second-placed Sundowns.
This is the second DDC title for head coach Roscoe Krieling after he won the first one with SuperSport United.
