DURBAN ā Orlando Pirates recorded a fifth win in all competitions as an 86th minute strike from Tshegofatso Mabaso earned them a hard-fought 2-1 victory over SuperSport United in a DStv Premiership clash at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday evening.
Pirates showed fortitude to come back after going 1-0 down in the fifth minute of the game. SuperSport Unitedās Teboho Mokoena opened the scoring and notched his third goal of the season after the ball bounced off team-mate Evans Rusike into his path.
The in-form Mokoena almost went from hero to villain a minute later as he earned himself his third yellow card of the season following a lunge on Fortune Makaringe.
After taking the lead, Matsatsantsa A Pitori played a conservative brand of football. The defensive pairing of Siyabonga Nhlapo and Onismor Bhasera sat back for the half and majority of the game.
Pirates were presented with a penalty in the 51st minute as Nhlapo brought down Zakhele Lepasa. The 23-year-old Lepasa struck a clinical penalty beyond the reach of Rowen Williams to equalize for the Sea Robbers.
ā Bucs Claim Maximum Points Against United
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) November 21, 2020
š„ Read the full Match Review ššæ https://t.co/ABzgyN1suy
ā«āŖš“ā#DStvPrem #Matchday#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/UJDEZMCXnC
The game looked to be heading for a dull draw for the majority of the second half before coming to life and becoming more open in the last ten minutes.
Nkanyiso Zungu who was introduced as a substitute for Thabang Monare in the 46th minute proved to be a live wire and posed problems for the SuperSport defence in the final third during the final stanza of the game.
SuperSport striker Bradley Grobler who was fairly quiet in the game had a golden opportunity to put his side ahead in the 85th minute following a neat cross from Gamphani Lungu. However, the Bafana Bafana international could not direct his header on target.
Mabasa produced the winner in the 87th following a misunderstanding between SuperSport goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and Luke Fleurs. The 24-year-old was quick to react to the mishap, giving Williams no chance of claiming the ball.
Whilst the game was a scrappy and competitive affair for the majority of the game, Pirates appeared to be the more tactically organized side and deserved their victory.
ā š¤“š¾ Man of the Match | @Lepasazakhele
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) November 21, 2020
ā½ļø FT || @orlandopirates 2 - 1 @SuperSportFC
š„ 51' (P) @Lepasazakhele
š„ 87' @TshegoMabaso
ā«āŖš“ā#DStvPrem #Matchday#OrlandoPirates #OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/FNFtIuycnO
The Sea Robbers are now on a run of 10 games in all competitions and appear to be a promising run of form under Jozef Zinnbauer.
IOL Sport