Orlando Pirates edge Las Palmas with late Radiopane winner on Spanish tour

Orlando Pirates bounced back from defeat in Spain as substitute Boitumelo Radiopane struck a late winner to secure a 1-0 victory over UD Las Palmas in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday evening.

The South African champions, who had lost to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad Club just 24 hours earlier, produced a much-improved display against the La Liga outfit and were eventually rewarded for their dominance in the closing stages.

Playing with a completely rotated XI from the team that faced Al-Ittihad, the Buccaneers started with intent and created the better opportunities throughout, before finally breaking the deadlock in the final five minutes.

Pirates respond after Al-Ittihad setback

Looking to restore momentum on their Spanish tour, Orlando Pirates named an entirely different line-up and immediately put Las Palmas under pressure.

Yanela Mbuthuma signalled their early intent with a powerful effort from the edge of the box, forcing goalkeeper Jose Caro into action.

The Soweto side continued to probe, with Ghampani Lungu surging down the right flank and meeting a low cross from Neo Rapoo, only to steer his effort into the side-netting.

Captain for the day, Camren Dansin, then came close to giving Pirates the lead midway through the first half. After a neat first-time through ball from Mpho Padime, Dansin found himself in a promising position inside the area, but Caro raced off his line to block the close-range attempt.

Woodwork denies lively Msendami

As the first half wore on, Pirates’ attacking threats increasingly came from the flanks, with Daniel Msendami particularly influential on the right.

Just before the interval, Msendami embarked on an overlapping run, cut inside and unleashed a powerful strike that thundered against the top of the crossbar, leaving Caro beaten and Las Palmas relieved to reach half-time level.

Despite the goalless scoreline, the South African champions were firmly in control of the main chances, while limiting the Spanish side to sporadic attacks.

Second-half changes and missed chances

After the break, Pirates made an early adjustment from the bench, withdrawing new signing Matome Mmolai and introducing Andre de Jong.

The pattern of the match remained largely the same, with the Buccaneers dictating the tempo and creating clear openings. Msendami again found himself at the heart of the action when he timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and latch onto a lofted ball over the defence. However, with only the goalkeeper to beat, he dragged his effort wide of the target.

Those missed opportunities threatened to prove costly as the clock ticked down, but Pirates continued to press for a winner rather than settle for a draw.

Radiopane capitalises on defensive lapse

Their persistence finally paid off in the dying minutes. A long ball over the top from deep in Pirates territory caught the Las Palmas defence off guard, with substitute Boitumelo Radiopane reacting quickest.

As hesitation between the goalkeeper and defenders left the goal unguarded, Radiopane pounced, racing onto the loose ball and calmly finishing into an empty net to clinch the victory.

Las Palmas mounted a late response in search of an equaliser, pushing forward down the flanks and creating one final opening. However, their best effort struck the upright, echoing Pirates’ earlier misfortune with the woodwork, and the South Africans held on to secure the win.

The result restores confidence for Orlando Pirates on their Spanish pre-season tour, underlining their depth with a rotated squad and sending a message ahead of the new campaign that they can compete and respond quickly after setbacks.