Orlando Pirates fell further down in the pecking order of the Betway Premiership title race after drawing 2-2 with Richards Bay at a sold-out uMhlathuze Sports Complex on Friday night. As such, the advantage was handed over to inactive Mamelodi Sundowns, who are away on continental duty in Tunisia, as they have a one-point lead at the top of the standings, which is now aided with a game in hand.
Pirates will be optimistic that their fortunes might change in the next six games, but they know that won’t be easy. Sundowns are on form, have won the last 10 games in a row, and know how to win the league as they are record-extending eight champions in a row. After scoring 11 unanswered in the last two games, Pirates came to the match high on confidence. But Bay annihilated their fire – and possibly their title aspirations – as they held them to a draw, despite Pirates coming back from two goals behind.
Pirates’ Title Aspirations Take a Hit
The hosts ensured that Sipho Chaine’s wait to equal the streak of club legend, Moeneeb Josephs, who kept 17 clean sheets during the 2009/10 season, continued as they denied him a chance to match that record here early in the first through Thulani Gumede’s strike heading into the break. Gumede put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute, blasting into the net a thunderbolt after being set-up with a clever cut-back from Sanele Barns inside the box after the Bucs defence failed to deal with a set-piece.
Pirates didn’t concede or trail due to lack of effort. They should have found the breakthrough of the game when Relebohile Mofokeng put through Kamogelo Sebelebele on goal, but instead of the wingback picking his spot and executing his shot, he sent his effort straight to the legs of goalkeeper Ian Otieno who had committed. According to the Premier Soccer League rules, a draw is a possible outcome, and this was the case for Pirates.
Key Players and Statistics
Bay’s goal momentarily stunned Pirates, but they quickly regrouped in search of the equaliser. Thalente Mbatha came close to doing just that with a piledrive, but his effort was parried away to safety by Otieno. The scintillating form of Mofokeng continued as the Bafana Bafana international was making Richards Bay chase shadows, allowing his team to move with fluidity in the final third. Some key statistics from the game include:
- 11 shots on target by Pirates
- 7 corners won by Richards Bay
- 2 goals scored by each team
But for all his effort, his teammates sometimes didn’t come to the party. There was a time when he danced his way inside the box, before cleverly passing Oswin Appollis, who unceremoniously lost his footing and put his effort wide, with the goal at his mercy. For more information on the South African football league, visit the official SAFA website.
