/ 29 March 2004

Pirates pip Sundowns

Orlando Pirates scored a narrow 1-0 win over Sundowns at Mamelodi’s Odi Stadium in a hard-fought Premier Soccer League match on Sunday.

Hardly four minutes into the first half, Orlando Pirates’ nimble striker, Patrick Thwala, connected after a spectacular one, two, three pass inspired by Hleza Mofedi and Bheka Phakathi.

Thwala’s shot left former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Andre Arendse with no chance.

The second half saw a plethora of silly substitutions as both teams — Pirates aiming to add to their tally, and Sundowns hoping to secure the draw to close the top-eight gap — searched for a goal.

Both teams failed to penetrate the solid defences and in the end Thwala’s early goal made the difference on the day. — Sapa