Simphiwe Selepe Reflects on First Goal for Orlando Pirates in 1-1 Draw Against AmaZulu

Orlando Pirates midfielder Simphiwe Selepe has expressed his delight after scoring his first senior goal for the club during their 1-1 draw with AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Buccaneers concluded their away fixtures for the 2024/25 DStv Premiership season with a spirited performance, coming from behind to share the spoils with Usuthu. It was a tightly contested encounter that saw an unfortunate own goal by Patrick Maswanganyi give the home side the lead in the 66th minute.

However, the moment of redemption came just 11 minutes later, when Selepe—an emerging talent from the club’s academy—found the back of the net to bring the Buccaneers level. The goal marked a special milestone for the 20-year-old, who was making only his fourth appearance in the professional ranks since debuting against Golden Arrows earlier this month.

Speaking to the club’s media team after the match, Selepe described the experience as a proud moment but admitted that the team still has improvements to make.

“In the first half, we created chances, some we didn’t take,” he said. “The game was a bit scrappy because they had more control of the ball. We played mostly second balls, which is not our normal style of play.”

Selepe also acknowledged the significance of his contribution, saying, “I’m happy to help the team get back into the game with the goal. Although we did not win, we wanted a better result, and there is a lot I think we can fix for the next match.”

The result leaves Orlando Pirates with one more fixture to conclude what has been a memorable campaign. They will host Magesi FC at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday evening in what promises to be a celebratory final home game of the season.

With young talents like Selepe stepping up and delivering on big stages, the future looks promising for the Soweto giants as they aim to build on their record-breaking 2024/25 campaign.