Da Cruz Calls Out Offside Goal After Chiefs Lose Soweto Derby 2-1

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz has questioned the first goal scored by Orlando Pirates in their 2-1 Soweto Derby win at FNB Stadium on Saturday. He says the goal by Yanela Mbuthuma looked offside and that a possible red card should also have been given. Da Cruz believes these decisions stopped his side from taking a clear lead before half-time.

Pirates went ahead in the 24th minute when Mbuthuma finished after a ball over the top. The shot took a deflection and beat Brandon Petersen. Replays showed that Mbuthuma may have been offside when the pass was played. Six minutes later, Chiefs equalised. Sipho Chaine spilled a cross from Mfundo Vilakazi and Pule Mmodi was on hand to score. The teams went into the break level at 1-1.

Da Cruz spoke to SuperSport after the match. He said the first half should have been used to “kill the game”. He explained that if the offside goal had been disallowed and a red card given, Chiefs could have gone 2-0 or 3-0 ahead. “If we score two or three goals we kill this game,” he said.

In the second half, Tshepang Moremi restored Pirates’ lead in the 55th minute. Thapelo Mokobodi got behind the Chiefs defence and set him up for a simple finish. Da Cruz said his young players struggled in the final 20 minutes because of a lack of experience. He added that they offered Pirates too many chances on the counter-attack. “They created nothing, we offered them the offensive transition,” he said.

Chiefs played without five first-team players who were injured. Da Cruz said he was still happy with the effort of the squad that took the field. He congratulated the players for how they performed under those conditions, even though they looked tired near the end.

The game finished with Chiefs reduced to ten men. Captain Inacio Miguel was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time and sent off. The defeat was Chiefs’ first in the Betway Premiership this season. Pirates moved to the top of the table with the three points. Da Cruz’s comments highlight both the competitive display from his side and the ongoing challenges with squad depth and experience in big matches.

Source: https://x.com/iDiskiTimes/status/2116561711079592407