Player ratings: Orlando Pirates 2 City 0

Taylor – To get beat from so far out for the second goal initially looked embarrassing, but in truth there wasn’t anything he could do about it.  Otherwise capable without looking exceptional.  6

Zabaleta – Half time switch to midfield reminded us of his flexibility.  Competitive and capable in midfield without ever dominating.  5

Ben Haim – Must have been as surprised as the rest of us to see him starting a game.  5

Mee – Wholehearted, but let down by giving away an unnecessary penalty with an obvious shirt tug.  5

Garrido – Defensively he spent the afternoon being to easily beaten.  A shame as he demonstrated good technique when getting forward.  5

Ireland – Captain for the day, and looked the fittest after another kung fu summer.  Lacked the cutting edge to make things happen though.  6

Johnson – A welcome surprise to see him back.  Bigger than ever if not better, but the U-21 international did ok.  Let’s hope there’s no reaction.  6

Weiss – Lively and looked our most likely source of inspiration.  Needs to learn to play the early ball when it’s on.  7

Petrov – Did anything he try come off?  Frustrating to those who remember what he’s capable of.  5

Bojinov – Looked so much fitter than at the end of last season, which is a big plus.  Just hope he gets a chance.  6

Bellamy – The first player to get booked, and for berating a linesman on an off-side call.  He just doesn’t do friendly, and for that we should be grateful.  Like Bojinov, playing for his future.  6

Subs:

Vidal – Did ok, but not well enough to suggest he’s going to be breaking into the first team on this showing.  5

Benjani – Showed some decent movement, but goals just didn’t look likely, and that’s what we needed  5.

Caicedo – Used his strength well on a couple of occasions, but the link-up play wasn’t good enough to cause any real problems.  5

De Jong – Appeared to be brought on for a run out, as he’s hardly the type to turn a game round.  Showed his usual positional discipline, which I always feel Zabaletta could learn from.  6

Man of the match: Weiss
Report: Orlando Pirates 2 City 0
Report: Kaizer Chiefs 0 City 1

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