Though Chiefs conceded three goals, Khune put on an okay performance, still pulling off crucial saves – one of a Bernard Morrison shot from an acute angle just before half-time and more notably to deny Mthokozisi Dube in the final minute of regulation time. Had it not been for those stops, the scoreline could well have been humiliating to Amakhosi.
Mphahlele ventured forward quite a bit despite being deployed in a more central role, but lacked the quality of the final pass in the last third, with numerous crosses going out of play. He was perhaps partly at fault for going to ground inside his own area before Thembinkosi Lorch fired home Pirates’ opener in the first half, and then got sucked in when Justin Shonga set Luvuyo Memela up for the second just seconds in the second half.
Showed good aerial awareness to cut out a number of Pirates’ crosses into the danger area, but was not as convincing on the ground, alongside Siyabonga Ngezana. Responsible for the poor clearance off Innocent Maela’s initial cross that lead to the ball ending up with Lorch, who punished the series of errors.
Ngezana appeared more of a passenger in the match and was perhaps overcome by the magnitude of what was only his second Soweto Derby, with the stakes much higher this time around than the previous meeting between the two sides. Was sacrificed for Bernard Parker in the 77th minute.
Zulu was caught on transition on a number of occasions, and seemed to struggle with the demands of going forward and tracking back. Also wasn’t allowed the freedom down the left-flank as Mthokozisi Dube did well to keep him at bay.
Molangoane was perhaps Chiefs best player in the first half, alongside captain Siphiwe Tshabalala, as they both created some spark through the midfield. He also proved more of a threat as a central figure than out wide, allowing Mphahlele to operate on the flank. Also lost steam in the second half, failing to get forward with Pirates packing the midfield and denying him space to play. Couldn’t fault his efforts.
Katsande arguably endured his worst Soweto Derby performance in long time but, in his defence, was perhaps not fully prepared following the recent passing of his mother. The experienced enforcer made a huge error by clearing towards his own box, which lead to Pirates scoring their first goal. He was also caught ball watching when Musa Nyatama passed him before setting up Luvuyo Memela’s first goal.
Another youngster perhaps overcome by the occasion, as Meyiwa struggled to deal with the likes of Musa Nyatama and Xola Mlambo in the Pirates midfield. He gave his best but it wasn’t enough to get Chiefs going, and was replaced by Pule Ekstein in the 68th minute.
Tshabalala lead from the front as he had a lively first half, with his set-plays causing all sorts of trouble for the Pirates defenders. His corner in the 29th minute was inch-perfect to allow Leonardo Castro to head home the equaliser for Chiefs. A number of threatening crosses were also squandered by his teammates prior to Pirates’ third goal, which left him helping out in defence. Did well to dispossess Memela, who was on a hat-trick, in the dying minutes of the match.
Having come through a promising run of having scored six goals in five games, Moon showed a few decent touches in the first half but Moon could not produce anything of significance in his first Soweto Derby start. He was then replaced by Gustavo Paez in the 57th minute.
Put in a good shift in the first half, spear-heading the Chiefs attack alongside Ryan Moon. Was a bit selfish in and around the box, but earned himself a goal on his Soweto Derby debut, showing good technique to head home from Tshabalala’s corner kick in the 29th minute.
Substitutes:
Came on to replace Ryan Moon in the 57th minute. His arrival was not under the best of circumstances as Chiefs were under sustained pressure from Pirates, and hardly got his foot on the ball.
Came on to replace Wiseman Meyiwa in the 68th minute. Failed to ignite anything of significance in the Chiefs attack, and took a while to catch up to the pace of the game.
Came on to replace Siyabonga Ngezana in the 77th minute. Did not play long enough for a rating.