Orlando Pirates claimed three crucial Betway Premiership points with a clinical 2-0 win against Stellenbosch in their game played at Athlone Stadium on Tuesday night.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for the Buccaneers who kept their title hopes alive by moving within two points of the log leaders with only three games left to play. They did so with another commanding performance in front of a sell-out crowd at Athlone.
Tricky conditions underfoot did not hinder a fast-paced start to the contest, much to the delight of the vocal spectators that had turned out. The visitors had two early chances, the best of which fell to Oswin Appollis whose left-footed effort in the 10th minute landed agonisingly close to the target. Patrick Maswanganyi had a similar opportunity just two minutes later, but failed to make the necessary connection with his miscued shot from inside the box also going wide.
The frantic nature of the contest continued deep into the first half with the visitors needing to weather a brief storm from their hosts, who enjoyed a promising spell that they failed to convert to any real chances. Pirates remained the more dominant side however, frequently asking questions of the Stellenbosch defence without finding the decisive touch.
Their long toil for the opener came to end just before the break, when a free kick whipped in by Maswanganyi located Evidence Makgopa who rose high amid attention from defender Olisa Ndah to turn the ball into the net.
The wait for the second was a relatively short one as the aerial route proved quite effective amid a bumpy surface. Maswanganyi provided the finishing touch this time around when his ball delivered into the box evaded all on its way to the net for his eighth league goal of the season.
This ensured a handy lead going into the break, while the hosts launched a spirited response in search of a goal that would pull them back into the contest. The Bucs defence remained resolute however, with goalkeeper Sipho Chaine only tasked with keeping out a single tame effort from Genino Palace in the 55th minute.
Cheeky challenges from both sides dominated the second half, with chances at goal few and far between. This continued until late in the contest when Devin Titus connected with Palace who managed to force Chaine into a save this time around, and the Bucs shot-stopper proved equal to the task as he got the faintest of touches to direct the ball onto the upright.
Pirates had a few opportunities to extend their lead, going close through Relebohile Mofokeng whose header from an Appollis cross failed to find the target. A last gasp attempt from replacement midfielder Cemran Dansin was even more agonisingly close as he struck the woodwork with a firmly-struck shot from range.
The late misses had little impact on the result in the end, with the two first-half goals enough to ensure a vital win for Pirates, who completed a league double against the men from the Winelands.
Pirates XI: Chaine, Seema, Sibisi, Sebelebele, Ndaba, Makhaula, Mbatha (Dansin 86’), Maswanganyi (Nemtajela 67, De Jong 76’), Mofokeng (Hotto 86’), Appollis, Makgopa (Mbuthuma 67’).
