Pirates rise to occasion against Stars
ORLANDO Pirates put together one of their more polished performances in recent times to outmanoeuvre Free State Stars tactically in a 4-1 Nedbank Cup last-16 victory at James Motlatsi Stadium in Orkney last night.
Pirates took the lead through Mpho Makola in the 20th minute with Sifiso Mbhele’s 40th-minute equaliser making it 1-1 at the break. A Goodman Dlamini own goal in the 48th, an Oupa Manyisa finish in the 63rd and a Thembinkosi Lorch strike in the 94th wrapped up the game for Bucs.
Stars played the final 13 minutes of normal time with 10 men after the dismissal for a second yellow card of midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula.
Bucs bounced back from a 3-2 league defeat against Stars at the same venue last Saturday.
Pirates attacked off a far more solid, organised platform than a week ago, where all-at-sea there defence disintegrated in the early stages.
Pirates took the lead when Makola was teed up by a Happy Jele pass 10 metres outside the area, turned and drove powerfully into the top-left corner.
On a Bucs counterattack in the 38th, Makola’s chip from the left edge found rightback Thabo Matlaba all alone at the far post, who could not get up high enough to get over the header.
After doing all the hard work earning an advantage, Bucs coach Kjell Jonevret would have been disappointed at Bucs for conceding, as from a short corner Nhlanhla Vilakazi’s delivery was nodded home by Mbhele.
There was an element of luck as Bucs took the lead again minutes into the second half. From Makola’s attempted cross from the left Dlamini had to make a motion backwards for a difficult defensive header, which he only managed to deflect past stranded goalkeeper Christoffer Mafoumbi into his own goal.
There was no luck involved though as Bucs, and Manyisa, engineered their third. Pirates’ midfield fulcrum won the ball near the halfway line, which was touched forward by Issa Sarr to Tendai Ndoro, who in turn played the through-pass into the path of Manyisa again, who simply lifted a chipped finish past Mafoumbi.
In the 77th Makhaula was dismissed for a second bookable offence for a challenge from behind on Makola.
Makola was involved in Bucs’ fourth deep in injury time too, feeding Lorch with a free kick passed across the outside of Stars’ box, the winger side-footing a shot past Mafoumbi. —