Ajax dominate, Pirates win
GOOD strikers win games. They don’t have to play all that well, they just have to finish when the opportunity presents itself.
Orlando Pirates forward Tendai Ndoro perfectly encapsulated this when he scored the two goals that earned the Johannesburg side a 2-1 win over Ajax Cape Town in a PSL fixture at the Cape Town stadium last night.
For 88 minutes, Zimbabwean Ndoro was a mere spectator, but, in a two-minute firsthalf blitz, when the chances arrived, he made no mistake.
He scored.
Ajax may have dominated proceedings, but football is always about goals. In front of a crowd of around 18 000, the Capetonians, for the most, outplayed the popular visiting team, but they just couldn’t kill off the game.
It’s a dispiriting result for the Cape side, especially because the performance was worthy of victory. As the cliché goes, that is how the cookie crumbles if you don’t make use of your opportunities.
This has been the endless tale of woe for Ajax – it has been the same way for the last few seasons.
As for Pirates, they may have taken the three points – but they certainly cannot feel too happy with their performance. In short, it was dismal – and goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo definitely earned his pay cheque last night.
The big question for Pirates coach Muhsin Ertugral was whether to stick with the calamitous Felipe Ovono in goal.
The Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper’s terrible handling had resulted in the Soweto side conceding a few soft goals of late – and the answer was provided when Ertugral responded by picking Mhlongo for the clash against Ajax. And, boy, did the keeper justify the coach’s selection change …
Ajax coach Roger de Sa was frank about how he wanted to approach the game.
The only way to compete against the Buccaneers was to starve them of possession, he reckoned, and that is exactly what the Capetonians did.
They dominated the ball and territory with their trademark passing game. But they were unable to create many clear-cut opportunities.
As expected, Pirates made the Cape side pay when, against the run of play, they scored two quick goals – both from the in-form Ndoro.
The first came in the 36th minute when Ajax goalkeeper Brandon Petersen missed the ball when coming out to try to stop Ndoro. And the second two minutes later when Ajax were caught in possession, Ndoro was sent clean through to net his second of the night – and his fifth of the season.
With Ajax continuing to press in the second half, it was no surprise when they pulled one back via the head of Nathan Paulse, who turned in a cross from Erwin Isaacs.