Late goal gives Marumo shock win over Orlando Pirates
Published: 13 August 2025, 2:30:38
Jaisen Clifford scored in added time to give Marumo Gallants a shock 2-1 victory over Orlando Pirates on Tuesday, which took the Bloemfontein club to the top of the South African Premiership.
The substitute poked a cross past goalkeeper Sipho Chaine and home supporters in a capacity 15,000 crowd erupted with joy at the unexpected second-round triumph.
Pirates, reeling from a home loss to Sekhukhune United at the weekend, led after 16 minutes when Patrick Maswanganyi sidefooted a cross past veteran Zimbabwe goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Marumo avoided falling further behind when under severe pressure and levelled just before half-time when another Zimbabwean, Daniel Msendami, fired home from close range.
Pirates seemed the likelier winners for much of the second half as they attacked relentlessly, only for Clifford to strike and leave the Buccaneers pointless from two outings.
Marumo are coached by Alexandre Lafitte from France, 28, the youngest coach in the Premiership this season.
“We played good football and achieved a good result. I have worked hard to improve the mentality of the players,” he said.
Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, a former Premier League defender with Fulham, joined Pirates during the close season after quitting Marumo.
Marumo have six points, two more than defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat AmaZulu 2-0 in Pretoria through second-half goals from Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews.
Sundowns, who began their campaign with a draw at Chippa United three days ago, are chasing a record-extending ninth straight league title.
A notable absentee from the Sundowns line-up was Brazilian forward Lucas Ribeiro, who was voted the 2024-25 South African player of the season and players’ player of the season.
He is reportedly keen to take up a new challenge after two seasons at Sundowns, with Qatar Sports Club a possible destination.
