Johannesburg – A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday evening.
Wits stunned the much-fancied Buccaneers with a brace coming in the first 16 minutes from Kadi.
With the win, Wits join Pirates on the third-placed Pirates on 44 points, behind only on goal difference but with a game in hand.
With Kaizer Chiefs winning against University of Pretoria 1-0 in the other clash on the evening, Pirates mathematical chance of winning the league was ended.
Pirates were behind almost from the opening whistle. A shocking piece of defending by Patrick Phungwayo saw the ball passed straight into the path of Kadi, who could not believe his luck, and from the edge of the area slotted the ball with his right foot into the back of the net inside the first minute.
Barely fifteen minutes later, Kadi had his brace. Wits produced a flowing move upfield and sent the ball into the area, and Kadi at full pace banged the ball into goal with his left foot to make it 2-0 to the Clever Boys with the game still in its infancy.
Moeneeb Josephs in the Pirates goal was called to action in the 23rd minute as a Wits free kick was swung into the box and the keeper was able to punch the ball away from danger.
On the half-hour mark, Lehlonono Majoro found himself ahead of the Wits defence but instead of running into the area decided to go for goal from range and lofted his poor attempt into the crowd.
Pirates did manage to put the ball in the back of the net in the 57th minute when Lennox Bacela backheeled a cross into goal, but he was ruled offside.
Sifiso Myeni attempted to wrestle the initiative as the game move into the 61st minute with a charging run up the middle leaving Wits defenders in his wake, but his shot from the edge of the area was sliced wide.
Such was the ebb and flow of the contest, that from the restart Kadi came close to completing his hattrick. The fiery forward burst into the Pirates goal, but on this occasion his finishing was poor as his shot drifted harmlessly wide.
Wits did not have proceedings go all their own way as Phumlani Ntshangase was given a straight-red card for a bad tackle on Bacela, and the referee had no option but to give the player his marching orders.
Despite the one-man advantage, Pirates were unable to find any breakthrough. – ANA