It was all but a one-horse race — a thoroughbred against a carthorse — as Premier League champions Mamelodi Sundowns went on a victory gallop at Ellis Park on Wednesday night and gave Orlando Pirates a football lesson during their sparkling 2-1 victory.
The champions increased their insurmountable lead at the top of the log to a hefty 12 points and further emphasised they are in a class of their own in the PSL right now.
Indeed, the final scoreline flattered Pirates, if anything, although the Buccaneers played an admirable supporting role while helping to entertain the 22 000 crowd.
Despite their defeat, the Buccaneers remain in seventh position in the log and barring an unforeseen catastrophe should finish among the top eight positions and qualify for next season’s Supa8 competition.
But the outcome hardly pleased the Pirates’ supporters, who spent the game alternatively exhorting their team to try harder and demanding the head of coach Bibey Mutombo.
Sundowns mesmerised the hard-pressed Pirates in the early stages and it was a surprise the Brazilians only managed to open the scoring in the 34th minute following a darting run by Ghanaian striker Patrick Apataki, who was deputising for the injured Jose Torrealba.
But predictions that Pirates’ dogged, rearguard action would collapse after this setback proved dramatically off the mark, with the Buccaneers’ captain and fullback, Lucky Lekgwathi, storming upfield for a corner to equalise a mere two minutes later with a perfectly-timed header.
And Pirates might have scored again when Sundowns goalkeeper Calvin Marlin brought off a breathtaking, point-blank save from Benedict Vilakazi before the interval.
Sundowns’ class, however, regained them the lead in the 60th minute when Benson Mhlongo emulated Lekgwathi’s aerial goal with an equally classy header.
Both teams made a full quota of changes, but it was the 15th minute substitution of Sundowns’ midfield anchor, Ezrom Nyandoro, that caused most concern as the heavily-bandaged Zimbabwean international pulled up with the recurrence of an old leg injury — suggesting he could be a doubtful starter for the Absa Cup Final
against Ajax Cape Town later in the month.
Still, with Mhlongo moving from the defence and proving a totally adequate replacement in midfield, the unfortunate Nyandoro’s absence was hardly felt by the silky-smooth and cohesive Brazilians.
Sundowns, however, retreated into a defensive shell in the closing stages as Pirates strove manfully for an equaliser — with Vilakazi again testing the ice-cool Marlin to the limit. – Sapa