Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riverio FILE - Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riverio. Photo: Phill Magakoe/AFP
Mohau Nkota celebrated his first senior start by scoring a first half brace as Soweto giants Orlando Pirates beat AmaZulu 2-1 at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday night.
The win, which was a nervy one after AmaZulu’s Pule Ekstein scored late on, saw Ezimnyama Ngenkani ezikaMagebhula maintain their perfect start to the season and move above champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the Betway Premiership.
AmaZulu, however, remain rooted to the foot of the table after their fourth loss in as many games.
From the DDC all the way to the big stage 🤩
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 25, 2024
Mohau Nkota's first league goal is a beaut 😲![CDATA[]]>🔥
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While Jose Riveiro’s Pirates moved top, the biggest story was 19-year-old Nkota, who was making just his third appearance for the club having been promoted from their DStv Diski Challenge side.
Another eye-catching aspect on the night was Nkota’s link-up play with Relebohile Mofokeng, who terrorised the AmaZulu defence throughout the game.
After a quiet start, the game roared to life on the half-hour mark when youngsters Mofokeng and Nkota combined.
With Mofokeng now 20 years old, Nkota has seemingly taken over the title of “South Africa’s most exciting teenager", and he didn’t let the fans down as he opened the scoring when he rifled a bullet of a shot past Richard Ofori in the AmaZulu goal.
Minutes later, the two kids combined again. AmaZulu were caught on the break and Mofokeng fed the ball to an unmarked Nkota, who slid the ball past Ofori for his second to make it 2-0.
To show how confident he was, Nkota nearly completed his hat-trick three minutes later. After being played through, again by Mofokeng, the 19-year-old beat the AmaZulu defence, but his shot clattered against the upright.
In between the goals, Boniface Haba was fortunate to be given just a yellow card after a studs-up challenge that saw Mofokeng rolling on the ground in pain.
Immediately after the break, Mofokeng and Nkota were at it again. But after plucking the ball brilliantly out of the air, Nkota couldn’t direct it goalwards, sending it just wide of the upright.
The Bucs are not slowing down until they get a third 👇
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 25, 2024
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Nkota had a glorious chance to complete his hat-trick, but after Evidence Makgopa laid off perfectly for him, the teenager somehow missed it with the goalkeeper already beaten.
Unfortunately, there would be no hat-trick for Nkota as he was hooked with 15 minutes to play.
For much of the second half, Ofori did his best to keep his former team at bay, and Pule Ekstein scored a late consolation for the KwaZulu-Natal side, who have lost all of their games so far this season.
IOL Sport
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