Orlando Pirates paid the price for squandering a myriad of chances in Wednesday’s league clash with AmaZulu, dropping their first points of the season.
Tshepang Moremi scored in the seventh minute to give the champions an early lead, but AmaZulu, after being denied a legitimate-looking goal by an errant offside flag, levelled on the stroke of halftime from the penalty spot through Thando Ngwenya.
WAY OFF TARGET
Pirates dominated the early exchange such that they could have been three or four ahead before AmaZulu pulled one back.
There were missed chances for Yanele Mbuthuma, who is not making use of the opportunity to be first-choice striker while Evidence Makgopa is injured, and some wild shooting from Moremi, who is often wayward and obviously needs to work on his shooting.
Inevitably, the champions came to rue their wastefulness and could well have lost the game had Ngwenya not missed from close range in the second half.
STILL UNBEATEN
Pirates stretched their unbeaten run against AmaZulu to 26 matches with the draw. It is an extraordinary 13 years now since AmaZulu last won against the Buccaneers – since the former Pirates striker Bongani Ndlula scored against them for the only goal of the game when AmaZulu won 1-0 in August 2013 in a match played at Soccer City.
AmaZulu have not defeated Pirates at home since October 2009 – almost 17 years ago – when Ayanda Dlamini scored the winning goal at Chatsworth Stadium to secure a 2–1 victory for Neil Tovey’s side.
NDULI INJURY
The stylish 30-year-old midfielder Sihle Nduli was back in the Pirates line-up for the first time since tearing his ACL last November in Umlazi against Lamontville Golden Arrows.
But his comeback ended prematurely when he was stretchered off following a horror tackle by AmaZulu striker Ngwenya, who caught him flush on the ankle and should have been sent off for a horrific late, and studs-up, tackle.
Ngwenya should have been red-carded for the challenge, again proving how the Premier Soccer League is falling behind the rest of the footballing world by not adopting VAR.
Before the game, Pirates’ Thalente Mbatha was confirmed as going off for knee surgery.
BOTH COACHES ANGRY
Abdeslam Ouaddou said there were a lot of technical errors and said he did not recognise his side at times. He was particularly angry about the performance of some of his international players who he said still had their heads at the World Cup.
AmaZulu’s Arthur Zwane had a rightful go at the officiating but also called out his players for laziness and poor decision-making.