Sipho Chaine ends opening-day clean-sheet drought in Orlando Pirates win

Sipho Chaine marked Orlando Pirates’ 2-0 victory over newcomers Milford FC with a personal milestone, recording his first clean sheet in the club’s opening league match of a season.

The 29-year-old had failed to keep the opposition out in each of his previous three opening-day league fixtures since joining Pirates. That sequence finally ended on Saturday at Orlando Amstel Arena as the Soweto giants began their campaign with victory.

Chaine’s first opening match at the club came at the start of the 2023/24 season, when Pirates lost to Stellenbosch FC and he conceded. A year later, he again let in a goal in the opening league fixture, although Pirates won 2-1 against Chippa United.

The pattern continued last season, when Pirates were beaten 1-0 by Sekhukhune United in their first league game. The result meant Chaine had started each of his first three seasons at the club without a clean sheet in the opening match.

That unwanted run came to an end against Milford FC, adding another achievement to a period in which Chaine has established himself as one of the league’s most reliable goalkeepers.

Clean sheets have been central to his success. Chaine kept 21 in 30 league appearances last season, a record that earned him the Betway Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season award.

He played every minute of Pirates’ league campaign, avoiding both suspension and injury, and became the club’s only ever-present player in the league. Across those matches, he conceded just 12 goals.

Mamelodi Sundowns were the only team to score against Chaine in both of their league meetings with Pirates last season. Marumo Gallants and Richards Bay FC were the only sides to score twice against him in a single match.

His latest shutout also took Chaine’s overall league total at Pirates closer to half of his appearances for the club. He now has 42 clean sheets from 90 Betway Premiership matches.

Chaine initially joined Pirates as their third-choice goalkeeper before moving up to the substitutes’ bench. He eventually secured the number-one position after being given an opportunity during the second half of the 2022/23 season.

Although he did not play at the World Cup, Chaine finished last season with the highest clean-sheet percentage among the 145 goalkeepers at the tournament, based on their club league performances. His rate was 70%.

The victory over Milford FC therefore offered more than three points for Chaine. It also removed a recurring concern from the start of his Pirates career and provided the latest evidence of his importance to the team.