Bucs downs Chippa in style
● Tshegofatso Mabasa, Abel Mabaso and Goodman Mosele goals helped Orlando Pirates maintain their promising start in the DStv Premiership as they collected their second successive success with a 3-1 away win over Chippa United in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha yesterday.
The three points lifted the Buccaneers to the summit of the table with eight points after four rounds.
The Soweto giants, who last won the league title in 2012, have registered two wins and two draws under a coaching duo of Fadlu Davids and Mandla Ncikazi.
While Davids and Ncikazi will be happy with the two last team goals that they scored via Mabaso and Goodman Mosele in the second half, they will however still worry about the sloppy way their charges started this match, allowing Chippa to take an early lead through Phakamani Mahlambi after the defence failed to close down a simple attack down the right flank.
Bucs continued to show serious frailties in their defence where skipper Happy Jele, who celebrated playing 400 matches for the club last weekend, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Paseka Mako and Mabaso looked in disarray and vulnerable whenever Mahlambi and Thokozani Sekotlong had possession of the ball around the area.
Sekotlong was the supplier of the final ball to Mahlambi, who opened the score in the 12th minute with the Bucs’ sluggish defence unable to deal with Chippa’s direct attack.
But Chippa coach Gavin Hunt was disappointed to see his team’s lead cancelled out by Mabasa, who was fed by Vincent Pule and finished with aplomb with a great turn inside the area in the 28th minute as Bucs started to dictate terms in the match.
The home side should have gone to the break having regained their lead as Mahlambi did get another opportunity to double his goals when he again linked up with Sekotlong.
But the winger shot wide despite having plenty of room to place his shot into an empty net.
Bucs’ new looking midfield of Goodman Mosele, Ntsako Makhubela, Bandile Shandu and Kabelo Dlamini looked far from compact and lacked synergy at times.
They could not keep pace with Chippa’s Siphesihle
Mkhize, Mogakolodi Ngele and Sammy Seabi when they were pressing towards Siyabonga Mpontshane’s goal.
Pirates’ bench showed their intention to win this match when they bolstered their attack with Terrence Dzvukamanja at the restart and added Deon Hotto a few minutes later for Dlamini and Makhubela, respectively.
The changes inspired Bucs to score two beautiful team goals that were finished inside the area by Mabaso and the 21-year-old Mosele, who scored his first goal in Pirates’ colours since joining the club from Baroka FC in July.