Soweto derby a damp squib
IT has come to a point where a draw is no longer a surprise in the Soweto derby.
Anyone who takes a bus, train, taxi or car to FNB Stadium expecting a barrage of goals from Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs is frankly just fooling themselves. These two teams have taken the excitement out of a derby and they did it again when they met yesterday in a goalless draw.
There were a number of empty seats in the stadium, which is usually packed when these sides meet. This was perhaps a sign that some supporters are not willing to put themselves to the torture of no goals or no winner. The goalkeepers Brighton
– Mhlongo of Pirates and Chiefs
’ Itumeleng Khune had little to do in
– the first half as both sets of players wasted opportunities that really should have been on target.
The worst of the missed chances was by far that of Amakhosi midfielder Pule Ekstein, whose attempt at a volley from close range went over the bar in first-half stoppage time.
Amakhosi settled quicker than the hosts, patiently building from the back in the hope that they would find an opening in the Bucs defence. Ekstein and Keagan Buchanan, who was playing in his first Soweto derby, were passing the ball around with ease but the only problem was that their passes were not really hurting Pirates because they would either go sideways or backwards.
Opportunities were few for Amakhosi, but it was no different for Pirates, who had to make changes to their starting line-up.
Riyaad Norodien came in for the ill Luvuyo Memela just before the game started.
And it was a brilliant pass from Norodien, on the counter attack, which forced Khune into his first save of the game in the 23rd minute, as the Bafana Bafana number one came off his line to deny an ineffective Thabo Rakhale.
Without captain Oupa Manyisa in midfield, Pirates were not quite settled in midfield. In Manyisa s place, Pirates coach
’ Muhsin Ertugral started with Gift Motupa. The national under-23 player looked rusty, but he could not be blamed as he last played against Cape Town City last month, when he went off early in the first half with an injury.
Motupa had two good chances early in the second half. The first one a long-range effort was saved
– – by Khune and the second one was just a bad miss from close range. He really should have done better with the effort after he was played in by Tendai Ndoro, but the shot was rushed and it went aimlessly over the bar.
Motupa went down after the hour mark with what looked like cramps, replaced by Bernard Morrison.
Both sides pushed for a winner in the late stages of the match, without any luck. Both sets of supporters left the stadium disappointed and probably feeling cheated for the money spent.
Chiefs moved back to the top of the table with this result, on 14 points.
In other PSL matches last night, Ajax Cape Town 0 SuperSport United 2; Bloemfontein Celtic 1 Bidvest Wits 2.