Orlando Pirates regained top spot in the South African Premiership on Saturday by defeating fourth-placed AmaZulu 3-0 in Soweto.
Pirates have 58 points with five matches to play, two points more than Mamelodi Sundowns, who have two games in hand as they chase a ninth consecutive title.
While Pirates were outplaying AmaZulu in Soweto, Sundowns were defeating Esperance of Tunisia 75 kilometres (47 miles) away in Pretoria to qualify for the CAF Champions League final.
Pirates, seeking a first Premiership title since 2012, and Sundowns have been locked in a two-club battle for supremacy since early in the 30-round season.
The winning margin of the Buccaneers against AmaZulu, formed in 1932 and the oldest Premiership club, could have been even wider as Relebohile Mofokeng struck the woodwork with a penalty.
South African poster boy and likely 2026 World Cup squad member, Mofokeng earlier in the second half completed the scoring with a shot from outside the area.
It was his 10th league goal of the season, leaving him third in the Golden Boot race behind Ivorian Junior Dion of Golden Arrows with 13 and Iqraam Rayners of Sundowns with 11.
The recent transformation of the 21-year-old into a regular scorer came after Pirates’ Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou converted Mofokeng from a winger to a central midfielder.
Yanela Mbuthuma nodded Pirates in front on 14 minutes and Oswin Appollis doubled the lead with a long-range shot in first half added time.
Kaizer Chiefs strengthened their grip on third place, and qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup, after drawing 0-0 at seventh-placed Polokwane City.
While Chiefs rose to 46 points, their closest challengers for a top-three finish, AmaZulu and Sekhukhune United, both lost. Sekhukhune fell 3-1 to Stellenbosch on Friday.
Dion opened the scoring as Arrows won 2-1 at second-last Orbit College, who have lost the most matches and conceded the most goals of the 16 Premiership clubs.
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