Orlando Pirates have failed in their quest to finish in the top half of the league for the first time since the inception of the Premier Soccer League after being held to a goalless draw last night.
Chances were few and far between as the Buccaneers and Ajax Cape Town played to a goalless draw in an Absa Premiership encounter at Orlando Stadium.
The result sees Pirates drop down to eleventh position and with no chance of finishing in the top eight.
The game got off to a rather cagey start with the first chance falling to Oupa Manyisa in the 24th minute. Superb interplay between Thabo Matlaba and namesake Thabo Rakhale setting up their skipper.
With the goal at his mercy, Manyisa could only succeed in firing wide of goal when seemed easier to score.
Riyaad Norodien was then involved in a contentious moment four minutes later as he took a tumble inside the area. But the referee was correct in waving away his claims for a penalty kick against his former employers.
0-0 at the break.
A similar pattern followed after the interval with Ajax Cape Town’s first real chance coming in the 54th minute. Roscoe Pietersen guilty of blazing his attempt over the crossbar from a corner-kick.
Brandon Petersen was on hand on the hour mark to keep out Marc van Heerden’s powerful shot from range on the hour mark, with the Urban Warriors shot-stopper always drifting to the edge of his area.
Ndiviwe Mdabuka then saw his shot from range fly wide following a neat bit of skill from Neo Makua, but Pirates looked the more desperate to find the back of the net as the game approached its conclusion.
And the hosts had a late chance to snatch all three points with 89 minutes on the clock, but Petersen was up to the task – the goal-minder with a superb save to keep out Van Heerden’s stinging effort from a smartly worked corner-kick.
Match ended all-square. Pirates have one last away trip against Golden Arrows before calling an end to a very disappointing 2016/17 Absa Premiership season.
Orlando Pirates (0) 0
Ajax Cape Town (0) 0
Orlando Pirates: Mabokgwane; Van Heerden, Mobara, Jele, Matlaba – Rakhale, Sarr, Manyisa, Norodien (Memela 76′) – Wome (Motupa 61′), Ndoro (Gabuza 61′)
Ajax Cape Town: Petersen; Isaacs, Pietersen, Coetzee, Lebusa – Graham, Kabwe, Mdabuka – Mzwakali (Mokoena 71′), Makua (Paulse 80′), Nxumalo (Lartey 87′)
