Kekana puts Sundowns back on the winning trail

Two audacious goals from Hlompho Kekana put Mamelodi Sundowns back on the winning trail, as they again got the better of Orlando Pirates 3-1 in another incident-packed game at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.

Anthony Laffor also scored a late scorcher as Sundowns won precious points to climb up into the top eight, with Marc van Heerden netting for the losers, but it might well have been a different story had the Buccaneers taken their chances, particularly in the dominant second half.

It was a game that both displayed the best and worst of the local game, with finely taken goals, but also some horror misses. It took 58 seconds to break the deadlock, as Kekana cut the angles on Abubakar Mobara and got his heel in the way as the defender attempted to hold the ball upfield. It rebounded back in the other direction, sliding past a startled Wayne Sandilands and trickling into the goal off the upright.

Sundowns, who came into the game on the back of three successive defeats, could not have asked for a better start.

But there was more to come. In an almost exact replica of the dream goal he scored for Bafana Bafana against Cameroon in March 2016, Kekana drilled a long range shot from just inside his own half towards the Pirates goal. It swerved viciously through the air as it began to drop and had Sandilands all flummoxed, so much so that he could only push the ball into his own net.

“You have to be crazy to try something like that,” Kekana said after the game, but the rest will applaud his innovation as well as his accuracy.

Just 13 minutes had gone and Sundowns were 2-0 up, threatening to repeat the six-goal fest they produced against Pirates at Loftus Versfeld.

There were two occasions where Thembinkosi Lorch got in behind the Sundowns defence, and onto long balls from the midfield, but fluffed his shot on both occasions.

But a superb free kick from Marc van Heerden reduced the deficit after 38 minutes — a trademark left-footed free kick marking his first outing for Pirates this season. Pirates forced Sundowns onto the back foot though at the opening quarter-hour, but were let down by poor touches and a lack of thinking, particularly on the part of Thabo Qalinge who rushed his crosses and his shots.

Taariq Fielies scored a controversial late winner as Cape Town City eased the pressure on coach Benni McCarthy with a scrappy 1-0 victory over Free State Stars in their Absa Premiership clash at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday.

Fielies turned the ball home after Stars goalkeeper Ali Sa-

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ngare had dropped a corner, with the visitors remonstrating with referee Kulasande Qongqo, claiming the City defender had fouled the gloveman. But the goal stood and City could celebrate a first win in five games, and a place in the top three.

Bidvest Wits’ horror start to the season worsened on Wednesday at the Bidvest Stadium, when they suffered their fifth defeat in nine matches succumbing to a determined Chippa United who took all three points via late substitute Samuel Julies wonderful brace. /

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