ORLANDO Pirates’ excursion to Limpopo ended with a shock defeat at the hands of Black Leopards.
Lidoda Duvha stunned the mighty Buccaneers 2-0 at Thohoyandou Stadium yesterday.
Roderick Kabwe’s strike, as well as an Innocent Maela own goal, were enough to hand the Limpopo outfit only their second win of the season.
The struggling Leopards are now out of the dreaded relegation zone and will be desperate to continue climbing up the table.
They came into the clash against the Soweto giants firmly rooted to the bottom of the DStv Premiership table.
But following their impressive win, they now sit in 14th place with nine points from ten matches.
Lidoda Duvha might be out of the danger zone but they are not yet safe as they are just a solitary point away from the relegation zone.
For Bucs, the defeat was only their second of the season but will arguably be the most painful as it came at the hands of the bottom side.
Their only other defeat was inflicted by log leaders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the first match of the year.
They came into the encounter high in confidence having thumped another Limpopo team in Tshakhum Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) 3-0 at the same venue a few days earlier.
But Leopards were not having it and were eager to end Pirates’ dominance over them since their return to the top flight.
They opened the scoring fatuously when Maela directed the ball from a corner-kick into his own net.
Leopards were smelling blood and they extended their lead in the 40th minute through a clean Kabwe strike.
Lidoda Duvha next face Cape Town City at the same venue while Pirates host Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium.
Both matches will take place on Wednesday (5 pm).
