The venue was set for the latest clash between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch Football Club. On Sunday, the 1st of December 2024, Orlando Pirates looked to defend their unbeaten run in the Betway Premiership as they played host to Steve Barker’s men at the Orlando Stadium. The first game of December for both teams carried multiple narratives ahead of the kick-off, which took place at 15:30 South African time.

Orlando Pirates had their eyes set on reclaiming the top spot and defending their unbeaten run, while Stellenbosch was looking to win 100 games under the stewardship of Steve Barker and Wesley Irwin-Sergel. These two narratives alone were enough to ensure an exciting game at the Orlando Stadium.

It didn’t take long for Stellenbosch to score the only goal of the game, thanks to Devin Titus, who broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute following excellent work from Ashley Cupido, who provided the assist. Even though Orlando Pirates had 17 shots compared to Stellenbosch’s 8, they were unable to breach the defense of the team from the Cape Winelands.

After their victory over Orlando Pirates, Stellenbosch Football Club now sits in 3rd position with 15 points after 8 matches played. Orlando Pirates, having suffered their first defeat of the season, are level on points with Mamelodi Sundowns, who currently sit in 1st position thanks to a better goal difference.

After the game, Orlando Pirates' head coach, José Riveiro, shared that he thought his team deserved much more than the zero points they walked away with.“It was pretty much the game we expected. I think we had a good beginning of the match with a strong first 15–20 minutes. Opportunities through Monjane and Hoto, arriving in the box with numbers, were really threatening to score early in the match as we had planned, but we didn’t capitalize. It was very difficult to play in the center of the pitch as the field was really dry, especially during daytime. We couldn’t manage to be precise enough, and in one of those situations in the middle of the park, they found Titus in a good position to run in transition, and he finalized that action very well. At 1–0, we kept going and kept trying. In the second half, we tried everything we could. I think we had some good chances to equalize and not leave this game with zero points. I don’t see today’s performance as one deserving of zero points, but what can I say? I’ve said this many times—this is a scoring game. They scored one goal, and we didn’t. Three points to Stellenbosch; I think they fought in an incredible way for every action and every meter. In the end, they got the three points. Today, there’s no drama. Nobody is invincible. We got our first defeat in the league, and tonight it’s time to recover.”

The game was a hard-fought victory for Stellenbosch Football Club, who left everything they had on the field. It marked 100 wins under Coach Steve Barker and Wesley Irwin-Sergel, who have been with the team as they developed from a second-division team to continental contenders.

Steve Barker shared his thoughts after the game.“Pirates started really well. I think in the first five to ten minutes, we had planned tactically for one or two things. Mofokeng and Nkota played quite narrow. They were able to find spaces between Mofokeng, Nkota, and Maswanganyi with balls behind our midfield. That caused us a lot of distress, but I think after 10–15 minutes, we sort of figured it out. Genino Palace dropped a bit deeper to take care of Mofokeng. Our fullbacks and wide midfielders had to get to their fullbacks before they got into our final third. Structurally, we were much better from that point. The game settled for the remainder of the half. Obviously, we are a team that is really good in transition, and once again, it showed. With the ball into Ashley—a good ball in behind to Devin—and a good finish, we got the goal that we wanted. Afterward, it was about keeping the structure for the rest of the half and ensuring we maintained the lead. Pirates had a lot of possession and half-chances. Near the end, there was a big chance that went straight to Sage, but besides that, I think we limited them to what I would call half-chances—balls into the box that maybe could have fallen to one of their players. I think we really defended well. On transition, we had one or two moments to finish the game off, but I just want to share that these Stellenbosch players never cease to amaze me in terms of their courage, bravery, commitment, desire, work rate, unity, and togetherness.”

The game ended with yellow cards for Nkosinathi Sibisi, Patrick Maswanganyi, and Karim Keikie Kimvuidi for Orlando Pirates, while Stellenbosch saw yellow cards for Olivier Touré, Omega Mdaka, and Ashley Cupido. Referee Philangenkosi Khumalo didn’t have to hand out any red cards during the game. The man of the match came from the visitors—Omega Mdaka, who put in a solid shift in the Stellenbosch backline.