Orlando Pirates claimed a 2-0 victory over Carling All Stars at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with crucial goals from debutant Sifiso Luthuli and Boitumelo Radiopane.
The Bucaneers netted second-half goals from Luthuli and Radiopane as they closed off 2025 on a high note. The two strikers came on in the second stanza to give Pirates the all-important win.
Pirates clashed with All Stars at Durban following their triumph in the Carling Knockout final last weekend at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium. The Soweto giants claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Marumo Gallants in the CKO final with a decisive goal from young midfield sensation Relebohile Mofokeng.
Pirates lifted their second domestic trophy of the campaign, having won the MTN8 against Stellenbosch FC in the final in September 2025. On the road to winning the Carling Knockout, Pirates beat teams such as Siwelele FC, Magesi FC, and Richards Bay FC before defeating Gallants in the final.
Pirates played the All Stars team without their key players, who are in camp for Bafana Bafana preparing for the AFCON in Morocco. The Sea Robbers were missing players such as Oswin Appollis, Sipho Mbule, Thalente Mbatha, Tshepang Moremi, Relebohile Mofokeng, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Nkosinathi Sibisi, and Sipho Chaine.
PIRATES GAVE CHANCE TO THE FRINGE PLAYERS
Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou used the opportunity to give other players, such as Olisa Ndah, Melusi Bethelezi, Thabiso Sesane, and Deano Van Rooyen, a rare start in the team.
The match started at a high tempo. However, both sides struggled to create goal-scoring chances, and the score remained 0-0 at the 30th minute. On the other hand, All Stars had two penalty appeals; however, the referee did not award them, and the match went into the half-time break goalless.
In the second half, both teams continued to struggle to get shots on target, and the match reached the half-hour mark without hitting the back of the net. All Stars won a free-kick on the edge of the box, but they couldn’t make it count.
A few minutes later, Pirates opened the scoring from Sifiso Luthuli, who scored his first goal for the club to give the Ghosts a 1-0 lead. Boitumelo Radiopane doubled the lead to give Pirates a 2-0 victory to lift the exhibition trophy.
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