Orlando Pirates Reserves suffered a 1-0 defeat on the road when they visited Cape Town City for their DStv Diski Challenge encounter at Malta Park Sports Complex on Sunday morning.
A determined effort could not prevent a first defeat of the season for the young Buccaneers, who came into the fixture with 10 points earned in their four outings.
Against a side looking to bounce back after back-to-back defeats, the Bucs defence was made to sweat early on with goalkeeper Zoey Monyepao called upon as early as the fourth minute to deal with a threatening City set piece.
Pirates had their first opportunity three minutes later when Lulama Nxumalo combined with Jabulani Mokone before his shot at goal was cleared off the line.
The two sides continued to play at high intensity as the hosts enjoyed the better of the chances on offer, mainly from set pieces with Monyepao kept busy throughout the opening half.
The visitors did manage to escape their own half in the 26th minute through a swift move up field which resulted in a close call for Mohau Nkota, whose shot at goal scraped the outer part of the upright. This sparked a brief spell of dominance for the Buccaneers, as City were pinned inside their half with Nxumalo and Mehluleli Maphumulo heavily involved.
The breakthrough however came inside the Bucs half as the home side found the net to edge ahead eight minutes from the break.
It could have been 2-0 on the stroke of halftime when Monyepao pulled off a vital stop to deny the hosts from a corner.
Pirates’ search for the equaliser intensified at the start o the second period, with Nkota managing to draw a succession of saves from the keeper.
They kept probing as replacement striker Mpumelelo Ndaba got on the end of a promising surge forward just after the hour mark before sending his shot over the crossbar.
A free kick in the final 10 minutes brought on another opportunity for Nkota, who was again unable to breach the keeper’s defences.
This was followed by a last-gasp set piece delivered into the box by Mokone, finding Ndaba whose header fell off target.
The Bucs Reserves continued to camp inside their opponents’ half of the field, but goals remained elusive in what turned out to be a frustrating morning on the road.
Pirates Reserves XI: Monyepao, Mokone, Sibiya, Mbokazi, Magugwana, Molepo, Selepe, Nxumalo (Masemola 54’), Mazibuko (Mdunge 54’), Nkota, Maphumulo (Ndaba 66’).
