Orlando Pirates begin title defence with victory over Milford FC

Orlando Pirates began their Betway Premiership title defence with a 2-0 win over top-flight newcomers Milford FC, with Oswin Appollis and substitute Tshepang Moremi scoring at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

Appollis opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Moremi settled the contest four minutes from full-time, giving new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou a winning start and the defending champions all three points.

The result also handed Pirates an important clean sheet, although they were made to work hard by a disciplined Milford side on its Premiership debut.

With Relebohile Mofokeng now playing in Belgium, greater attacking responsibility is expected to fall on Bafana Bafana winger Appollis this season. He made an immediate impact when his free-kick took a significant deflection off the Milford wall, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and becoming the first goal of the new Betway Premiership campaign.

Ouaddou otherwise kept faith with much of the squad that secured the league title last season. There was, however, a surprise start in midfield for promising youngster Cameron Dansin.

Milford showed no signs of being intimidated by their first match in the top flight. The visitors enjoyed several positive spells of possession in the opening half and were able to play through Pirates’ press when openings appeared.

They also created a number of promising situations, although none seriously tested Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine.

Pirates controlled much of the ball but struggled to penetrate Milford’s compact defensive structure. Appollis’ deflected set-piece therefore remained the decisive moment of the first half, allowing the champions to take a narrow lead into the interval.

The hosts were expected to increase the pace after the restart, but the same pattern continued. Pirates remained in command of possession without producing a steady flow of clear chances, while Milford maintained its shape and defensive discipline.

The first significant opportunity of the second half arrived after the hour mark. Deon Hotto found himself one-on-one with the Milford goalkeeper but was denied by an excellent save.

Ouaddou’s frustration was clear on the touchline as he called for greater urgency and more movement from his players. At times, Pirates appeared to be affected by the lack of competitive action during pre-season.

Milford continued to frustrate the defending champions and briefly threatened to create a tense finish. Pirates eventually found the quality required to put the match beyond their opponents.

Moremi was sent through by a perfectly weighted ball over the top, giving him open space to run towards goal. The winger kept his composure, rounded the advancing goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net in the 86th minute.

The performance was not among Pirates’ most fluent, but the champions did enough to start their title defence with maximum points.

Milford can take encouragement from a well-organised display on their top-flight debut, even though they left Orlando Stadium empty-handed. Their resistance was ultimately undone by two moments of quality from Orlando Pirates.

The Buccaneers will now switch their attention to the defence of their MTN8 title. They begin that competition next week against Durban City.