Wasteful Orlando Pirates fail to extend lead at the top

Pirates now lead Mamelodi Sundowns by just one point.

Orlando Pirates squandered the opportunity to extend their lead in the title race when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Siwelele FC in a Betway Premiership match at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

Vincent Pule opened the scoring for Siwelele in the first half and Tshepang Moremi equalised for Pirates in the second half.

ALSO READ: Sundowns’ Cardoso hails dominant victory over Stade Malien

Following the stalemate, Pirates now lead Mamelodi Sundowns by just one point, but the Brazilians have a game in hand over them.

With games coming thick and fast, Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou rotated his squad by making two changes to the team that beat Richards Bay 2-0 midweek. Deon Hotto and Patrick Maswangayi made way for Nkosikhona Ndaba and Moremi respectively.

The changes did little to interrupt the Buccaneers rhythm as they dominated their visitors at home and Siwelele goalkeeper and Man of the Match Ricardo Goss was the busier of the two goalkeepers. The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper was called into action as early as the ninth minute, when he saved Oswin Appollis’ long-range shot.

Goss then produced a point-blank save to deny Yanela Mbuthuma in the 20^th minute as Pirates continued to pile pressure on Siwelele as they looked for the opening goal.

Five minutes later did well to parry Kamogelo Sebelebele’s stinging shot away for corner kick and from that resultant corner, Lebone Seema forced another good save from Goss with a header.

Pirates were to pay for these misses in the 29^th minute when Vincent Pule beat Sipho Chaine with a low shot to put Siwelele in the lead. The home side tried to build from the back and Ndaba was dispossessed by Tebogo Potsane who found Pule with a perfectly weighted pass and the former Pirates winger dropped his shoulder before unleashing a powerful shot that gave Chaine no chance. In a sign of respect for his former team, Pule decided against celebrating his goal.

Pirates tried to get the equaliser before the half-time break, but Goss made sure that his team took their slender lead into the interval by pulling more saves.

Whatever Ouaddou coach said during his half-time talk appeared to spark the Buccaneers into life in the second half as it took them only six minutes to find their equaliser. Moremi beat Goss with a powerful left-footed shot.

Mofokeng almost put Pirates in the lead in the 53^rd minute, but was denied by Goss who parried the ball away for a corner kick.

Goss almost gifted Pirates the second when he took time to clear the ball and substitute Evidence Makgopa dispossessed him of the ball and the ball fell on the path of Moremi, but Goss made amends of his earlier mistake by pulling off a great save to deny him.

ALSO READ: Chiefs’ Velebayi – ‘I need to score’

Mofokeng wasted a glorious chance to put Pirates in the lead when he sent his free header straight at Goss in the 85^th minute and with that went the Buccaneers’ chance of extending the lead over Sundowns to three points.