Orlando Pirates made it five consecutive victories in the Betway Premiership after beating TS Galaxy 2-0 at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.
Evidence Makgopa opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half, while Tshegofatso Mabasa came off the bench to seal the three points for the hosts close to full-time.
The Buccaneers made a strong start to the contest when Tshepang Moremi hit the post in the first five minutes.
The Soweto giants would take the lead after 20 minutes when Makgopa converted from the spot after Pirates were awarded a penalty following a foul on Masindi Nemtajela, who was making his first start in the league.
Galaxy did eventually get into the game, and Puso Dithejane drew a save from Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine.
The home side then had a golden opportunity to double the lead on the stroke of halftime, but Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Lebone Seema had a lack of communication at the back-post, and the effort was spurned.
The Buccaneers continued to threaten the Galaxy goal after the interval as substitute Oswin Appollis set up Dean Hotto, but the defender could only sting the gloves of visiting shot-stopper Ira Tape.
The home side made sure of maximum points deep into the referee’s stoppage time when Mabasa latched onto a cross from Hotto to head into the bottom corner.
It was the fifth win in seven league outings for Pirates this season, while Galaxy suffered a third defeat in eight matches.