Orlando Pirates vaulted to the semifinals of the MTN8 with a convincing 2-0 win over Polokwane City at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Pirates new signing Oswin Appollis, who was in the books of City last season, had a point to prove and he did so brightly and cheerfully. He tormented his former employers and ran rings around their defence in a very tough first half for the visitors from Limpopo. He was rewarded with the Man of the Match accolade for his exploits at the end of the game.
The Buccaneers were the better side in opening stages and were all over City like a cheap suit. City struggled to cope with the combination of Relebohile Mofokeng, Boitumelo Radiopane and Appollis, who gelled with his new teammates instantly. It was by no mistake when Appollis opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he connected to an inch-perfect pass from Radiopane and sliced the ball into the net.
New Buccaneers
A lot was also expected from Bucs’ other new arrival Sipho “Master Chef” Mbule who pulled the strings in midfield and dished out delicious passes to the forward players, who sadly, could not read the menu. The talented Mbule, who is resurrecting his career at Bucs, did not disappoint. Over all, he had a good day at the office.
As the clock inched towards halftime, the troublesome Appollis was again in the thick of things when he dribbled past one defender and was fouled inside the 18-area. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi converted the spot kick, making it 2-0.
Even though Bucs dominated, it does not mean that they walked all over City. The Rise and Shine players worked hard and created anxious moments for their opponents. Physically, they were equal to the task and took on the Bucs defenders man to man. Credit must go to City who really made Pirates to work very hard and sweat for their victory. The score was not a true reflection of the match and City coach Phuti Mohafe will be proud of his boys.
For the Buccaneers, it was a great start for new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who got off to a positive start, also with his side playing some mouthwatering football in the process. There’s still a lot of work to be done but they are on the right groove.
