Sbani Nntungwa of Richards Bay challenged by Yanela Mbuthuma of Orlando Pirates during the Betway Premiership match at the Mhlathuze Sports Complex.
Image: BackpagePix
RICHARDS BAY (1)(2)
Gumede 11’, Zikhali 59’
ORLANDO PIRATES (0)(2)
Appollis 52’, Seema 90+3’
Orlando Pirates fell further down in pecking order of the Betway Premiership title race after drawing 2-2 with Richards Bay at a sold-out uMhlathuze Sports Complex on Friday night.
As such, the advantage was handed over to inactive Mamelodi Sundowns, who are away on continental duty in Tunisia, as they have a one-point lead at the top of the standings, which is now aided with a game in hand.
Pirates will be optimistic that their fortunes might change in the next six games, but they know that won’t be easy. Sundowns are on form, have won the last 10 games in a row, and know how to win the league as they are record-extending eight champions in a row.
After scoring 11 unanswered in the last two two games, Pirates came to the match high on confidence. But Bay annihilated their fire – and possibly their title aspirations – as they held them to a draw, despite Pirates coming back from two goals behind.
The hosts ensured that Sipho Chaine's wait to equal the streak of club legend, Moeneeb Josephs, who kept 17 clean sheets during the 2009/10 season, continued as they denied him a chance to match that record here early in the first through Thulani Gumede’s strike heading into the break.
Gumede put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute, blasting into the net a thunderbolt after being set-up with a clever cut-back from Sanele Barns inside the box after the Bucs defence failed to deal with a set-piece.
Pirates didn’t concede or trail due to lack of effort. They should have found the breakthrough of the game when Relebohile Mofokeng put through Kamogelo Sebelebele on goal, but instead of the wingback picking his spot and executing his shot, he sent his effort straight to the legs of goalkeeper Ian Otieno who had committed.
Bay’s goal momentarily stunned Pirates, but they quickly regrouped in search of the equaliser. Thalente Mbatha came close to doing just that with a piledrive, but his effort was parried away to safety by Otieno.
The scintillating form of Mofokeng continued as the Bafana Bafana international was making Richards Bay chase shadows, allowing his team to move with fluidity in the final third.
But for all his effort, his teammates sometimes didn’t come to the party. There was a time when he danced his way inside the box, before cleverly passing Oswin Appollis, who unceremoniously lost his footing and put his effort wide, with the goal at his mercy.
The ‘Rele Show’ continued in the second half, with Mofokeng driving Pirates' search for an equaliser. His efforts finally paid dividends as he scooped a pass behind Bay’s way, finding Appollis, who latched on the ball and slotted past Otieno.
Given the fact that last time they conceded first, they only equalised and dropped two points against Siwelele, losing their grip on the standings, Pirates needed to change the script here: get the lead, and win.
As such, when coach Abdeslam Ouaddou brought on Evidence Makgopa for the heavily scrutinised Yanela Mbuthuma, it seemed they’d do just that. But it wasn’t to be.
In the search of a lead, and pushing numbers forward, they left the defence with gaps, and Bay capitalised, with Thembela Sikhakhane turning defence into attack, before finding Lundi Mahala who calmly controlled the ball, with his back against goal, allowing an onrushing Lindikuhle Zikhali to latch onto the loose ball and drill his shot past Sipho Chaine.
Pirates huffed and puffed for the equaliser, and they were duly rewarded in style, defender Lebone Seema showing a poucher’s stint with a pile drive deep in stoppage time. That might not be enough in the scheme of things as the two points drop could come back to haunt Pirates.