Orlando Pirates boosted their PSL title chances following their 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium on Sunday.
Pirates got into the match 18 points behind Sundowns, and could have ended the week 21 adrift, but narrowed it to 15, and with four games in hand, it revives their title hopes.
The victory exposed a number of things which will have a bearing on the race for the PSL title that appeared headed Sundowns’ way prior to Sunday’s match.
Title race still not over
Pirates took their tally to 43 points from 19 matches while Sundowns are on 58 from 23 games. That leaves the Buccaneers with four games in hand and if they were to win all of them, that would take them to 55, which would be three behind Sundowns.
While many had predicted another win for Sundowns, which would have effectively ended the title race, it is not over and the victory will give Pirates confidence, leading to an exciting final two months of the season.
Mofokeng the main man for Pirates
Orlando Pirates had 20-year-old Relebohile Mofokeng to thank as his quickfire double gave them a 2-0 lead inside five minutes and this was yet another game when he proved to be the difference maker.
Mofokeng also made some bit of history as his two goals within the opening five minutes represent the quickest league brace by an Orlando Pirates player in the PSL era.
Mofokeng is to Pirates what Lucas Ribeiro is to Sundowns and having scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists, it is difficult to see where the Soweto giants would be without him.
Sundowns are beatable
Orlando Pirates also showed that the best team on the land has some weaknesses which if well utilised, an opponent can secure victory.
It was the third defeat for Sundowns this season and all of them have had a similar pattern as Pirates, just like Polokwane City and TS Galaxy, started quickly and pressed them high, forcing mistakes that they took advantage of.
Not every team is lucky, however, but a quick start and good defence will likely get you a point or all three against Sundowns who rarely score early.
Pirates won but question marks exist
While Orlando Pirates won the game, it was down to how well they defended as they had to put nine men behind the ball in the second half to weather the storm.
Still, Sundowns pulled one back and had Pirates not been resolute in defence, the Brazilians would have gotten something out of the game.
It means Pirates cannot still go toe-to-toe with Sundowns and as the race for the title hots up, they still have a lot to do before they can match their illustrious rivals.
Is tight schedule catching up with Downs?
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has been complaining about his team’s fixture congestion and this is a game that exposed its effects.
The Brazilians have not had a free week since the start of the year and looked a little tired early in the game as they could not match the pace of Pirates, who hit them on the break for the first goal, before a high pressing situation yielded the second.
By the time they regained their composure, the game had slipped out of their hands and it is something they will have to learn to cope with.
Luckily for Cardoso, he has a deep quality squad to choose from as the situation will not change after the international break when CAF Champions League matches resume in April.
