Reigning Betway Premiership champions Orlando Pirates continued their impressive start to the season with a convincing 4-0 victory over Kruger United at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night.
The emphatic win secured a third consecutive victory for the Soweto giants, while Kruger United suffered their third straight defeat.
Oswin Appollis was instrumental in Pirates’ dominant display, providing two assists as Ghampani Lungu, Boitumelo Radiopane and Yanela Mbuthuma found the back of the net in Mpumalanga.
Pirates made the perfect start when they were awarded a penalty in the second minute after Kamogelo Sebelebele was brought down inside the box by Kruger United defender Katlego Mohamme.
Lungu stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with a low effort into the bottom-right corner to give Pirates an early lead.
Kruger United responded well to the setback and enjoyed long spells of possession during the remainder of the first half. Pirates were largely forced to rely on counter-attacking opportunities and struggled to create clear-cut chances as Kruger controlled much of the play.
The hosts came close to finding an equaliser when Aphiwe Mphothe rose to meet a deep cross inside the box, only for his headed effort to be cleared off the line.
Sipho Chaine was then called into action late in the half after Ebrahim Seedat delivered a dangerous cross from the left for Zwane, whose effort from close range struck the upright.
Despite being under pressure for significant periods, Pirates went into the break with their narrow lead intact.
The visitors returned from the interval with greater attacking intent and doubled their advantage early in the second half.
A quick passing move opened up space around the Kruger United penalty area before Appollis picked out Radiopane with a perfectly weighted through ball. The striker shrugged off his marker before calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Radiopane was on target for the second consecutive match, further underlining his growing influence in the Pirates attack.
While Kruger had enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half, Pirates looked increasingly dangerous after the restart. Appollis came close to adding a third on a couple of occasions but was unable to convert his chances.
Pirates eventually extended their lead in the 78th minute following another swift attacking transition.
Appollis was again at the heart of the move, driving forward before squaring the ball across the box for Mbuthuma, who made no mistake from close range to put the visitors 3-0 up.
Kruger United continued to struggle in the final third, with their wastefulness in front of goal ultimately proving costly.
Pirates then put the result beyond doubt deep into stoppage time when Mbuthuma completed his brace with a classy finish.
The substitute found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after another rapid counter-attack and calmly lifted the ball over the advancing keeper to complete a 4-0 victory.
The result sees Pirates maintain their winning momentum early in the Betway Premiership campaign, while Kruger United will be left searching for answers after a third consecutive defeat.
