By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Orlando Pirates ended their 14-year Premiership title drought with a 2-0 victory over Orbit College at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday afternoon.
Pirates entered the final game of the season knowing that a win would make them champions, while anything less would hand a ninth straight title to Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Buccaneers striker Yanela Mbuthuma led from the front and pressed relentlessly, making it difficult for Orbit to leave their own half even when they did manage to win possession.
The pressure eventually told as Orbit cracked. In a moment of madness, Sabelo Nkomo punched the ball into his own net under pressure from Thalente Mbatha, gifting Pirates a 1-0 lead at halftime — and leaving Mswenko Boys with a mountain to climb.
In the 44th minute, Orbit College almost flipped the script on its head at the other end from a corner. Lethabo Modimoeng met the ball, but hooked his shot wide with Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine at sea.
Pirates picked up exactly where they left off after the interval and continued to pile on the pressure. The hosts conceded yet another own-goal, this time through Ndumiso Ngiba, who turned the ball into his own net to make it 2-0 to Pirates in the 50th minute.
The final whistle brought to an end years in the wilderness mixed with near misses. During Sundowns’ run of eight successive Premiership titles, Pirates were runners-up five times: in 2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
They finished on 69 points, one ahead of Sundowns, but also recorded the most wins (21), scored the most goals (58) and conceded the fewest (12).
Orbit finished on 24 points, the same number as Magesi, but the latter had a goal difference of -19 compared to -26 for Orbit.
Betway Premiership match 30 results:
Durban City 0-1 AmaZulu
Golden Arrows 0-0 TS Galaxy
Kaizer Chiefs 0-1 Chippa United
Magesi 1-0 Richards Bay
Marumo Gallants 0-0 Stellenbosch
Orbit College 0-2 Orlando Pirates
Sekhukhune United 2-2 Siwelele.