/ 17 March 2011

Ajax sink Pirates to top table

Ajax Sink Pirates To Top Table

Ajax Cape Town thumped Orlando Pirates 3-0 on Wednesday to replace them as leaders of the PSL with five rounds left.

Pacesetters in the richest national football championship on the African continent since late January, Pirates slipped to third place on goal difference after Mamelodi Sundowns won 1-0 at home to lowly Vasco da Gama.

Kaizer Chiefs, the fourth contender for a $1,4-million (about R10-million) winners cheque, were inactive as opponents SuperSport United have an African Champions League engagement in Egypt this weekend.

Ajax have 52 points after 25 rounds, Sundowns and Pirates 50 each and Chiefs 46 with a game in hand in the most exciting title race since the 16-team PSL was created 16 years ago.

With Ajax having to visit Sundowns and Chiefs, as well as a clash between Sundowns and Chiefs also to come, the chase is wide open and Pirates appear to have the slightly less demanding run-in.

Ajax tire Pirates
Sundowns have won the title five times and Soweto giants Chiefs and Pirates twice each, while the closest Ajax came was finishing runners-up to Chiefs in 2004 and to SuperSport four seasons later.

It was a rewarding evening for Zimbabwean sharpshooters with midfielder Khama Billiat scoring in each half for Ajax and striker Nyasha Mushekwi grabbing the goal that secured Sundowns maximum points.

Youthful Ajax ran Pirates ragged and should have led by more than one goal after the first half at Newlands — home of Super Rugby union franchise Western Stormers.

A couple of goals in as many minutes soon after half-time from Billiat and fellow midfielder George Maluleka sealed the fate of Pirates, who had gone 16 league matches without losing.

Mushekwi struck on 18 minutes in Pretoria as a Sundowns side bankrolled by mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe stayed on the winning trail after lying seven points off the pace just a few weeks ago.

Maritzburg United and Moroka Swallows grinded out 1-0 victories in the battle to avoid finishing second-last and going into promotion play-offs against three first division clubs.
Veteran striker Siyabonga Nomvete scored the goal that brought Swallows success at Bloemfontein Celtic, but they remain three points below Maritzburg after a fourth-minute Diyo Sibisi goal saw off Platinum Stars. — Sapa-AFP