Deon Hotto, Benni McCarthy and 5 Top Free Kicks From the Premier Soccer League Era

• Deon Hotto scored for Orlando Pirates' from a free kick in their latest DStv Premiership win
• Benni McCarthy scored several free kicks for Orlando Pirates upon his return to South Africa
• Walter Musona, Mpho Makola, and Siphiwe Tshabalala have all provided superb free kicks

Few footballing moments are as spectacular as the dead ball cracker.

Deon Hotto added another set-piece winner to his scrapbook when he slotted a 25th-minute free kick to help Orlando Pirates beat TS Galaxy in the DStv Premiership.

This free kick earned Pirates three points but other net busters have seen a mixed bag of rewards that did not always match the quality of the strike.

The South African league has seen a host of emphatic free kicks and Sports Brief has compiled a list of the most memorable.

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The 5 best free kicks in the PSL era

5. Deon Hotto

The latest free kick to be scored in the DStv Premiership showcased the calm and precision needed by the dead-ball specialist.

The goal helped keep Pirates' momentum and could prove vital in winning the race for second place and CAF Champions League qualification.

4. Siphiwe Tshabalala

The opening goal in a 3-1 win over Free State Stars, Siphiwe Tshabalala unleashed the left-footed magic so adored by the Amakhosi fans.

Chiefs would finish fourth that season, 10 points behind winners Wits University, with 'Shabba' finishing a tied-seventh top goal-scorer with seven goals.

3. Walter Musona

This picturesque strike that saw the ball barely rotate as it rocketed over 30 yards passed an outstretched Itumeleng Khune is a thing of technical beauty.

Polokwane City would go on to lose the match 2-1 and finish the season nine points above the relegation zone, but they will always have this as a special moment.

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2. Mpho Makola

Mamelodi Sundowns only conceded 20 goals on their way to the 2016 PSL title, with one of them being a thunderbolt from Mpho Makola.

Down 2-0, Makola stepped up and clipped the underside of the bar as his thunderous curling strike left Denis Onyango helpless.

1. Benni McCarthy

Heading into the final game of the 2012 season needing a win to prevent Moroka Swallows from claiming the PSL title, Orlando Pirates secured a 4-2 win against Golden Arrows.

Benni McCarthy scored twice, including this acute injury-time free kick to put the sweetest of cherries on top of a successive league title for the Buccaneers.

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Itumeleng Khune: A list of career highlights

Sports Brief recently compiled a list of Itumeleng Khune's greatest moments in the Kaizer Chiefs goal.

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The keeper was suspended from first-team activities following an alcohol-related incident at Naturena.

Kaizer Chiefs have stated that Khune will be welcomed back after starting personal growth programmes.