Pirates win revives hopes for second spot

Orlando Pirates (0) 1 SuperSport United (0) 0

Scorers: Pirates – Tapelo Xoki (79, pen)

● Even though they were a thousand miles away in Khartoum minding their Caf Champions League business, Mamelodi Sundowns were the main story here in Soweto.

This 1-0 win by Orlando Pirates, that was secured through a second-half penalty by Tapelo Xoki, means that Sundowns need two points from their remaining seven matches to win their sixth successive Premier Soccer League (PSL) title.

If Sundowns beat Cape Town City in their next league after the international break next month, they will probably be the first PSL team to secure the league title so early in the season, which is testament to their utter dominance.

Even more scary, if Sundowns go on and win their remaining seven league matches, they will clock the 80point mark, a feat that will take some doing to be repeated.

It will also be a crowning moment for coach Rulani Mokwena, who was appointed sole head coach in October and the team has remained unbeaten in 21 matches in all competitions.

For Pirates, this narrow victory has significantly refreshed their hopes for a second-spot finish that comes with Champions League football, as they trail SuperSport by two points from the same number of games.

For SuperSport, the pressure is back on them as they have loosened their grip on the second spot and are going to be under pressure from Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Cape Town City, Richards Bay and Stellenbosch.

Pirates coach José Riveiro made two changes to the team that beat Motsepe Championship side Venda Football Academy 2-1 in their last outing during the Nedbank Cup last week, and they worked. Captain Innocent Maela returned to the starting line-up to replace Deon Hotto at the back while Thabang Monare was installed in the heart of the midfield to replace Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo.

Monare was a welcome addition in central midfield as he combined well with Miguel Timm against Grant Margeman, Patrick Maswanganyi and Siphesihle Ndlovu.

Coach Gavin Hunt also made two changes with Gamphani Lungu coming on for Neo Rapoo in the midfield and Bradely Grobler replacing Thamsanqa Gabuza upfront.

This clash also saw Zakhele Lepasa, who is on loan at SuperSport, up against his parent club, but he did not manage to haunt them as he was not at his best on the night.

It came as no surprise when Lepasa was pulled off the field just after the hour mark to be replaced by veteran Onismor Bhasera, a move that suggested Hunt wanted to solidify his defence.

Lepasa had a good chance to punish Pirates after 37 minutes but blasted the ball off target after he was released by Maswanganyi on the edge of the box.

In the first half, Pirates had better scoring chances with the likes of Kermit Erasmus, Kabelo Dlamini, Thembinkosi Lorch and Monnapule Saleng involved in the attacks.

The visitors also had their moments with Lungu, Grobler and Lepasa but they could not find their way past Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine, who is establishing himself as a reliable number one for the team.