Orlando Pirates suffered a blow to their Betway Premiership title aspirations as they went down 4-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday’s encounter at Loftus Versfeld.
It was the Soweto Giants third defeat in the league this season and their second such result on the road. Their Tshwane counterparts meanwhile claimed a crucial three points that opened the gap between the two sides to an imposing nine points with the visitors still with a game in hand.
The fixture’s top billing was not matched by the tricky underfoot conditions on the day, where Pirates had a tough time asserting themselves early on. Their opponents navigated the terrain a tad better, and that proved to be the difference in the opening exchanges as many of the initial chances went the way of the men in yellow.
Bucs keeper Sipho Chaine was called upon as early as the seventh minute when he dealt with a long-range effort from midfielder Teboho Mokoena. The bulk of the action remained inside the visitors’ half, but there was still little to excite the sell-out crowd that had turned up during a period where both sets of players battled to find cohesion on the slippery surface.
A set piece in the 13th minute afforded the home side a chance to organise, and that led to the game’s first decisive moment. Grant Kekana provided the crucial touch when he went undetected near the back post, meeting Marcelo Allende’s cross before finishing past Chaine.
Pirates’ attempts to draw level yielded minimal opportunities as they continued to battle for rhythm. There was more work for their shot-stopper at the other end, and he pulled off a superb save in the 19th minute in keeping out a seemingly goalbound header from defender Lucas Suarez.
Things became even more tricky for the visitors eight minutes later, when the Brazilians launched a counter from deep with Lucas Ribeiro making a fine run on the left before placing the ball beyond the reach of the outstretched Chaine.
The Bucs keeper remained in the thick of the action while his opposite number, Ronwen Williams was tasked with relatively comfortable grabs as the Soweto Giants’ struggles continued. A skied effort from Deon Hotto late in the first half meant that the home side’s lead remained intact heading into the break.
There was a bit more intent from Pirates after the restart with the Namibian international central to their effort to pull one back. He got his reward rather spectacularly in the 57th minute when he evaded two defenders in cutting in from the left while combining with Evidence Makgopa before slotting home with his weaker foot to half his side’s deficit.
The Buccaneers’ celebrations were however cut short, with Ribeiro hitting back almost immediately with a strike that restored Sundowns’ two-goal lead. Defender Nkosinathi Sibisi’s attempt at reducing the gap once more was unsuccessful as he fired over the bar following a Bucs set piece.
A tough afternoon became even more complicated as the clock wound down, with Pirates’ task complicated further by another strike. Their fourth goal came from the boot of Mokoena, whose powerful shot from outside the box fizzed past the diving Chaine into the net.
In looking to salvage something from the contest, Pirates made several changes. One of those was the earlier introduction of striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, who was deprived of opportunities for much of his cameo but did manage to knock one just wide of the target deep in injury time with the offside flag already up.
Such was the nature of the Buccaneers’ afternoon, which concluded in a disappointing result that kept their points tally at 33 after 14 games, while their hosts marched to a 10th straightt league victory.
Pirates XI: Chaine, Xoki, Sibisi, Van Rooyen (Ndlozi 83’), Mako, Makhaula (Nkota 69’), Dlamini (Ndlondlo 83’), Maswanganyi, Hotto, Mofokeng (Kimvuidi 83’), Makgopa (Mabasa 69’).
