Mamelodi Sundowns had their minds on Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final and paid the price when Free State Stars thumped the defending Premier Soccer League champions 4-0 in the final league fixture of the season. Meanwhile, Santos ended in third position on the league table after beating Platinum Stars 1-0, and Orlando Pirates beat AmaZulu 4-1.
Santos had goalkeeper Wayne Roberts to thank as they advanced through to the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup after beating Orlando Pirates 5-4 on penalties at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Roberts made saves three times in the shoot-out after the match had ended 2-2 after full-time.
Even after parting ways with coach Khabo Zondo after a string of poor results, Bloemfontein Celtic’s ambitions of improving their position on the log suffered a blow. With caretaker coaches Benjamin Reed and David Modise at the helm, Celtic lost 1-0 to the title-chasing Orlando Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.
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/ 3 February 2008
South Africa’s national Under-23 soccer team beat their Danish counterparts 2-0 at a packed Caledonian Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. A much-improved performance by Steve Komphela’s side saw the hosts comfortably win the second game of this two-match international friendly series.
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/ 23 December 2007
AmaZulu beat Orlando Pirates 1-0 in a drab Absa Premiership encounter at the packed Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban on Sunday. AmaZulu striker Dumisani Ngwenya scored the only goal of the game to send his team into the top half of the table.
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/ 2 December 2007
In coach Owen da Gama’s first game in charge for Orlando Pirates, they lost to Thanda Royal Zulu in a cup game. Da Gama’s charges showed their improvement since his arrival by beating the Royals 3-1 in a Premier Soccer League game at Johannesburg Stadium on Sunday.
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/ 28 November 2007
A makeshift Bafana Bafana side put five goals past a hapless Lesotho in a one-sided training match at the Germiston Stadium on Tuesday evening. Ajax Cape Town striker Thembinkosi Fanteni led the way with a brace, while Orlando Pirates’ Lebohang Mokoena, Santos’ Thando Mngomeni and SuperSport United’s Katlego Mphela netted a goal each.
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/ 16 October 2007
Despite having a battalion of 43 players at his disposal, Orlando Pirates coach Owen da Gama faces a dilemma as his team prepare for a Premier Soccer League game against Bloemfontein Celtic on Friday night. Pirates captain Lehlohonolo Seema, Lebohang Mokoena, Kelebogile Mabe and Bheki Khumalo could miss Friday’s clash.
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/ 8 September 2007
A bungling South Africa lost 3-1 to a majestic Ghana team in an Olympic soccer qualifier at the Olen Park Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday. Ghana striker Prince Tagoe scored twice and midfielder Obed Ansah netted a splendid goal to join Nigeria at the top of the three-team group competing for a place at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
With a script as strange and uncanny as that penned by a fiction writer, Orlando Pirates secured a frenzied 2-1 extra-time victory over SuperSport United in the SAA Supa8 semifinal at Durban’s King’s Park Stadium on Thursday night, with much-maligned coach Bibey Mutombo emerging the unlikely hero.