Orlando Pirates’ hopes of catching up with log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns took a major dent after they were nailed 2-0 by Marumo Gallants at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday night.
Pirates lost further ground in the league race and Sundowns are surely on course for their eighth successive PSL title. The Buccaneers are trailing the Brazilians by a whopping 18 points with four games in hand. In the earlier match on the day, Sundowns defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 to tighten their grip on the title.
The games in hand are beginning to be a major worry for coach Jose Riveiro’s players who are struggling in playing catch up. It is going to take a mammoth task for Bucs to take Sundowns to the wire as the league is slowly approaching business end.
Pirates started strongly but their former player Gabadinho Mhango had a point to prove when he opened the scoring with a clever goal in the 15th minute. Pirates then threw everything at Gallants, but they found the home side unrelenting. And 20 minutes later, Tshegofatso Mabasa should have equalised but his glancing header, unmarked, was way off target.
The action-packed encounter continued to swing from end to end and both goalkeepers were called to make some brilliant saves. With Pirates throwing more men upfront in search of the equaliser, Thalente Mbatha deflected a shot into his own net, wrapping up a bad day in the office for Bucs.
Gallants’ supporters packed the stadium to the rafters and drowned the travelling Pirates fans. The former Bloemfontein Celtic fans, who have adopted Gallants as their team, were their club’s 12th player on the day. As usual, they sang their lungs out and motivated their team to perform much better. It is back to the drawing board for Riveiro and his squad who will travel to East London for the next league match against Chippa United on Wednesday.
