Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu played to a goalless draw in a Premier Soccer League match played at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Tuesday night.
Both teams hit the woodwork early in the first half, but it was the Buccaneers who wasted a number of goalscoring chances throughout the encounter.
Rulani Mokwena made wholesale changes from the team that lost to Highlands Park in the MTN8 last weekend.
Asavela Mbekile, Xola Mlambo, Siphesihle Ndlovu, and Gabadinho Mhango all cracked the nod alongside Paseka Mako, as Pirates looked to pick up their first win under Mokwena.
This was Ndlovu's debut for Bucs after being overlooked in the last four matches following his arrival from Maritzburg United in the off-season.
Cavin Johnson kept the core of the team that lost their opening two games of the season, including Thembela Sikhakhane and Siyethemba Sithembe, and there were improvements on the night.
There was a forced substitution just before kick-off as goalkeeper Siyabonga Mbatha injured himself during the warm-up and his place was taken by Niel Boshoff, who was making his AmaZulu debut on the night.
The first real chance of the game fell for Mhango, who fired his attempted shot wide from inside the box very early in the game as Pirates started the game on the front foot.
As exciting and pacy the game was, both sets of players were let down by decision-making in the final third.
Sithebe had a go at Wayne Sandilands in the 12th minute, but his left-footed shot from outside the box bounced off the crossbar with the Pirates goalkeeper well-beaten.
Pirates hit back with an attack of their own eight minutes later as Ndlovu found Vincent Pule, whose flick from close-range came off the upright before AmaZulu cleared the danger.
At the start of the second half, Mokwena introduced Tshegofatso Mabasa for Pule, who appeared to be struggling with the pace of the game towards the end of the first 45 minutes.
The visitors now had three attackers in Mabasa, Lorch, and Mhango upfront to signal their intentions of scoring their first goal in four matches.
AmaZulu needed to defend better, and they did just that without abandoning their attacking responsibilities.
Johnson's men had better chances to score in the final 15 minutes with Andre de Jongh coming close to breaking the deadlock.
However, Sandilands was equal to the task to deny the attacking midfielder his first PSL goal.
Ultimately, neither side could find the back of the net as the game ended in a goalless draw, much to the disappointment of the decent crowd in Umlazi.
Pirates moved to four points from three games, but they have now failed to score in their last four matches across all competitions.
Usuthu, on the other hand, are winless this season and without scoring a single goal, but getting a point against Pirates should be motivation enough for the players.
