It came down to a controversial penalty awarded by referee Masixole Bambiso which decided the Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at FNB stadium on Saturday, but was it the correct call?
Chiefs player Njabulo Blom was adjudged to have fouled Pirates’ Relebohile Mofokeng before the winger sent his shot wide deep in second half injury time.
While Chiefs keeper Bruce Bvuma was busy celebrating that he and his defence had managed to prevent the 20-year-old sensation Mofokeng from scoring, Bambiso quickly began pointing to the spot.
Patrick Maswanganyi stepped up to cheekily chip the ball into the back of the net, after Bvuma dived to his left, and win the match 1-0 for Pirates to earn three vital Betway Premiership points.
Replays suggested there may have been slight contact in the form of jersey-tugging from Blom, but the footage was far from conclusive.
Of course, Bambiso had a considerably different view of the incident and decided in the moment the offence warranted a penalty.
It was a massive call, but no doubt a close one that would divide the opinions of supporters of both sides.
Naturally, both coaches had contrasting opinions about the match.
“I think it’s three points well deserved,” said Pirates coach Jose Riveiro.
“I think we had clear chances, especially in the second half. These games used to be tight, not really beautiful football, not usually many chances.”
Riveiro’s opposite number Nasreddine Nabi, meanwhile, could not hide his disappointment.
“We think that we were good in the game. Unfortunately, the last-minute penalty was a little controversial,” said Nabi through a translator in an interview with SuperSport after the match.
“Overall, we (the Chiefs coaches) are happy with the performance of the team and all the players. We expected to get more from this game.”
“It was a zero-zero match.”
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to [email protected]. Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).