Orlando Pirates dropped three points on the road, going down 2-0 to Marumo Gallants in Saturday’s Betway Premiership fixture played at Free State State Stadium.
It was a costly slip-up for the Buccaneers as they saw the gap between themselves and the log leaders increase even further. Their opponents meanwhile claimed a crucial three points in their quest to avoid the axe.
Having drawn a sell-out crowd to the World Cup venue, Pirates looked to immediately stamp their mark on proceedings as they managed to send a few shots towards the Gallants goal in the opening 10 minutes. Relebohile Mofokeng and Bandile Shandu each had a go early on, but neither came close to opening the scoring.
The breakthrough came against the run of play as Gallants found a way through the visitor’s defence following a set piece. Former Bucs forward Gabadinho Mhango was the man with the decisive touch as he fired from close range to make it 1-0 in the 15th minute.
It was a setback that seemed to derail the Soweto Giants, who battled for cohesion throughout the remainder of the first period. A rare chance came their way nine minutes from the break when Kabelo Dlamini’s ball into the box was flicked across goal by Tshegofatso Mabasa, eluding Tapelo Xoki who only needed a touch to turn it into the net.
The hosts could have had the final say ahead of the interval, but Sipho Chaine pulled off a crucial stop to deny Zimbabwean forward Junior Zindoga who headed goalward after meeting a cross from countryman Daniel Msendami.
This meant that Pirates’ pursuit for parity spilled over into the second period, where they were the first of the two teams to find some go-forward ball. Dlamini and Mofokeng were both immediately involved, each getting a shot away without affecting the scoreboard.
Chaine was also called upon, producing an excellent save to thwart Gallants midfielder Sekela Sithole, who had broken through to set up a one-on-one with the shot-stopper.
The Buccaneers kept probing without any luck as the home side’s resolute defending kept clear-cut chances to a minimum. It was Gallants who were rewarded late in the second half – rather fortuitously – as an unlucky touch from Thalente Mbatha directed the ball into his own net in the 74th minute, doubling his side’s deficit.
Faced with an uphill climb, the visitors managed several forays into opposition territory. The evening’s frustrating theme however continued as none of their attempts yielded the desired result.
By the time the final whistle sounded, the writing had long been on the wall as Pirates suffered their first-ever league defeat at the hands of Gallants who pulled off the weekend’s biggest upset.
Pirates XI: Chaine, Xoki, Sibisi, Van Rooyen (Ndlozi 84’), Shandu (Nkota 56’), Mbatha, Makhaula (Mako 76’), Hotto, Dlamini (Ndlondlo 84’), Mofokeng, Mabasa (Makgopa 76’).
