1.Tapelo Xoki's penalty gave Orlando Pirates the much needed three points against SuperSport United

Orlando Pirates defeated Gavin Hunt's SuperSport United 1-0 on Saturday night in a DSTV Premiership clash at the Orlando Stadium courtesy of a Tapelo Xoki's penalty.

Xoki converted from the penalty spot with 11 minutes remaining to hand Pirates the victory in a match that produced a few clear-cut chances from both sides.

Even though Pirates got the all crucial victory, head coach Jose Riviero felt his side could have sealed the contest earlier on in the match.

"I think we dominated most of the second half if not all and that should mean we could have wrapped up the match very early, though we got the desired result but it could have came earlier on in the encounter as we created a couple of chances that should have been buried," Riviero said.

With Pirates keeping a clean sheet for the first time in seven home matches and a first one since November 2022, Riviero was pleased with the performance of the team and how the players were focused on keeping the clean sheet.

"I am so happy with those secondary but important things we did to win a game like this, the concentration, commitment and how we applied ourselves in the duels during the encounter," Riviero added.

Pirates are now third on log with 37 points trailing second place SuperSport United by two points heading into the international break.

After the international break Pirates will travel to KZN at the King Zwelithini Stadium for a date with Richards Bay on the 1st of April 2023.

2.Amakhosi keep CAF Champions League hopes alive

Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has admitted his side was lucky to go home with all the three points after Chiefs won 3-2 against Maritzburg United on Saturday night at the Harry Gwala Stadium.

In an entertaining DSTV Premiership clash Chiefs started like a house on fire, scoring two quick goals inside the first 10 minutes through skipper Keagan Dolly and Christian Saile.

With Amakhosi on the driving seat in the first 15 minutes of the encounter, Maritzburg managed to pull a goal in the 20th minute through Rafiq De Goede to bring back the Team of Choice in the clash.

Just before halftime Maritzburg drew level with a wonder free-kick from Amadou Soukouna to take the sides to the break deadlocked at 2-2.

Yusuf Maart then scored a winner in the second half from the spot kick as the Soweto giants completed the league double over Fadlu Davids' men.

The victory means that Amakhosi have now won 4 consecutive matches in all competitions and Zwane believes his team was fortunate to get the maximum points.

"I think we were fortunate to get the maximum points, we conceded two easy goals and we knew the team we were facing was going to be aggressive because they wanted it more than us, I believe we could have also done better defensively and offensively too," Zwane said.

Zwane who is also adamant they will keep on working hard until they get it right was not worried when Maritzburg managed to come back in the encounter after Amakhosi led 2-0 in the first 10 minutes.

"I did not panic at all when Maritzburg leveled the encounter because I simply believe in our players, I believe that as soon as we take control of the game we can create chances and be able to score and fortunately enough that was the case," Zwane added.

The victory saw the Glamour Boys keep within touching distance of second place SuperSport United with only two points separating the two sides.

Chiefs will next meet Stellenbosch FC at the FNB Stadium on the 1st of April 2023, the last time the two sides met Chiefs defeated Stellies 3-1 at the Cape Town Stadium with Caleb Bimenyimana scoring a hat-trick of penalties.

3.Franck Kessié leads Barcelona to victory in the El-Clasico

Log leaders Barcelona defeated fellow title contenders Real Madrid 2-1 in the El-Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday evening.

With over 90 000 people in attendance at the stadium to witness another great game of football, Barcelona's Franck Kessié scored a dramatic late winner as Barcelona's pursuit of a 27th Spanish title gained more momentum.

Real Madrid took an early lead after a Vinicius Jr cross deflected off defender Ronald Araujo and went inside his own goal in the 9th minute however, Barcelona hit back just before half time with a tidy finish by Sergi Roberto from close range.

The two sides went to the break deadlocked at 1-1 with Barcelona finishing the first 45 minutes on a high note.

The second half didn't really produce much clear-cut chances as both sides struggled to unlock each other at the final third, Madrid thought they had sealed the victory through Marco Asensio unfortunately his late strike was adjudged to have been offside.

With the match seeming to be heading for a draw, substitute Kessié had other ideas as the midfielder scored the injury-time winner much to the delight of the fans and players of Barcelona.

The victory means Barcelona hold a 12 point difference at the summit of the La Liga table over Real Madrid who have now suffered their 4th loss of the campaign.

Due to the international break both teams will be back in action on the 1st and 2nd of April respectively with Barcelona visiting Elche while Madrid will welcome Real Valladolid.

4.Ireland are the Six Nations champions

Ireland were made to sweat against 14-man England to claim a long-awaited Six Nations Grand Slam victory in Dublin on Saturday.

The Irish team started on the back foot with two early Owen Farrell penalties that put England ahead before Ireland hit back with a penalty and a well-worked Dan Sheehan try in the 33rd minute to head into halftime leading 10-6.

With the two sides going at each other in the second half of the encounter, Ireland scored two more tries in the second period to cement their lead at the Aviva Stadium before Jamie George scored a consolation try for England very late in the encounter.

Ireland's 29-16 victory over England saw them go through their Six Nations campaign unbeaten to win their first Grand Slam title since 2018.

Other notable results from the weekend's Six Nations saw France defeat Wales 41-28 while Scotland thrashed Italy 26-14.

5.Perez clinches the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Red Bull's Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen even though he said the conditions were tougher than he had expected. 

Perez's victory meant fellow Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen finished second to give Red Bull a 1-2 finish in what is shaping up to be a runaway season for the reigning Formula One champions.

A technical failure in qualifying had left Verstappen with only little hopes of victory, but he looked in with a strong chance when a safety car helped him move up to second and within six seconds of his team-mate before the race reached its halfway stage.

However, Perez, who had only claimed three wins in his two previous seasons as the Dutchman's team-mate, produced a hugely composed display to hold his advantage as Red Bull claimed a one-two for the second time in as many races this season.

Meanwhile Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race for his 100th career podium while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished sixth and seventh respectively while Esteban Ocon finished eighth ahead of team-mate Pierre Gasly to complete a strong afternoon for Alpine and Kevin Magnussen produced a late overtake to snatch the final point from AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda.

In a weekend of highs and lows, a strong performance once again from Red Bull at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has set the tone for the rest of the season while ahead of the international break, Chiefs and Pirates are still in the hunt for a top two finish and with only 12 matches to go, Barcelona are in the driving seat as the quest for La Liga glory continues.