Orlando Pirates hit the perfect six to climb to the top of the standings
Mihlali Baleka
TS GALAXY 0
ORLANDO PIRATES (1) 2
Mbatha 16, Mofokeng 72
Mbombela is known for its beauty and nature, the Kruger National Park in these parts boasting the ‘big five’: the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.
But at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night, Orlando Pirates produced their ‘big six’: the sixth win in a row since the start of the Betway Premiership.
This result saw them enjoy an excellent start to the season as they are top of the log with 18 points, six ahead of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
And boy, it was important that it also augured well for their title aspirations as they matched the record of the class of 2002/2003 season, who won the title under Roy Barreto.
It was a good omen that Pirates will want to ride on – and they might be forgiven for celebrating it with a buffalo as this happens to be their happy ground.
Pirates won the Nedbank Cup here last season, with Relebohile Mofokeng scoring the decisive goal.
The 20-year-old, alongside Thalente Mbatha, brought about another win.
Unlike Pirates, Galaxy are yet to win in the league this season. Their start is muddied by four losses and one draw which came last week against Marumo Gallants.
Sure, beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, and there’s no doubt many could still be reminiscing the exploits of Barreto’s team as they won the title at first attempt.
But such is the nature of this game, sometimes not everything is denied, but delayed. Hence, Jose Riveiro, in his third season, could finally be looking into “God’s Window” and seeing the promised land.
Of course, that’s always been the mandate for the Spaniard from day one, but along the way he’s created some beautiful memories, winning five domestic trophies out of seven.
That tally could still rise this season, with the Nedbank Cup still to be defended. But come the end of May, every Ghost will want to see the beauty of the league title gracing their trophy cabinet.
The strides to make that a reality came as Riveiro celebrated his 99th match in charge of the Sea Robbers ship in this match as he claimed his 60th victory.
It could be argued that there were nervous moments for Pirates, but such is the nature of real contenders, they are not always ‘pretty on the eye’ to collect maximum points.
What’s beautiful is that individual brilliance can always bring collective results. And such was the case when Makhehleni Makhaula stabilised the Sea Robbers’ ship.
Galaxy started the game on a high, making a flurry of inroads into Pirates’ final third as Khulumani Ndamane and Mpho Mvelase tested the waters first.
But like the nature of his big brother figure to all the Pirates’ players, Makhaula, 34, who was voted the Player of the Match, made some daring clearances and blocks to keep the fire out.
His effort allowed Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota, who were both not born by the time Barreto won the title, to show some flashes of individual brilliance going forward.
Mofokeng’s beautiful exploits nearly provided the opener for Evidence Makgopa, but the striker couldn’t bury the chance as he slipped and put his effort wide.
Mbatha saved Makgopa from the blushes, hitting a hard and low piledriver which flashed past Ira Tape’s hands like a thunder-strike after latching onto a loose ball outside the box.
Mbatha could have cemented his Bafana Bafana return having made the provisional squad for the final two Afcon qualifiers earlier with his second goal thereafter.
But it wasn’t to be. The 24-year-old’s half volley, after connecting with a loose ball from Kabelo Dlamini’s corner, was brilliantly saved by Tape.
Backed by their home crowd, The Rockets hunted for the equaliser later in the first half, but they shot blanks, with referee Eugene Mdluli even turning away their appeal for a penalty.
The hosts protested so angrily that Mdluli had to remind Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic before the resumption that he – and not anyone else – is running the show.
A white smoke from the stands complimented the restart – perhaps The Ghost sending a message to their team that they were due for a braai, hence they must wrap up the game soon.
Nkota nearly heeded that call as he defied his small size to bulldoze his way in between Galaxy’s defenders before his effort, with his weaker right foot, forced a save from Tape in goal.
The hosts tried to exert the pressure on Pirates in search of an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be.
Rather, Mofokeng offered a thing of beauty later on to wrap up the game.
Mofokeng fought for possession outside the box, before winning it and turning to unleash a perfectly executed ball into Tape’s corner.
Galaxy saw further dust, with Kamogelo Sebelebele getting sent off later in the second half, while Pirates hit their 'big six' in the land of beauty and nature.