MagRush | September 22, 2019
Full-Time: Bidvest Wits 4-3 Orlando Pirates
Every so often, one meets a good size of sensible passionate football fanatics who confess time after time that the Premier Soccer League (PSL) profile is on the rise. That is a good development on the domestic front. The marked improvement, at the very least, is on the pitch this time round than the usual balance-sheet rigmarole.
No fewer than the hordes of fans who flocked into the emerging legendary Moses Mabhida stadium Saturday (September 21,2019) night can attest better after they were treated to a rare breathtaking seven (7) goals thrill-a-minute PSL match face-off in Durban.
The acts in the Mabhida immaculate pitch were Bidvest Wits – who until the start of the match pampered their visitors – and Orlando Pirates in the Absa Premiership tug-of-war duel.
Owing to the dearth of goals in the domestic league, last night’s Premiership slugfest has to be unequivocally on queue for the game of the season by far when the proverbial fat lady sings come end of the 2019/2020 season.
It was not until the 3rd minute to the start of the game when Deon Hotto’s free kick caught Pirates goalkeeper Joris Delle flat-footed. With him rooted firmly on the Durban shoreline turf, the sleek ball sailed into the back of the net unperturbed. Then the “Clever Boys” (Wits) were ahead: 1-0.
The moment of magic was delivered by Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabaso’s 45th minute chest-trap, on a turn, he wrapped his right foot to a we-are-here-to-compete whack that bulged the net carefree. Spooked by the trajectory of the volley, Wits goalkeeper Brandon Peterson had no chance but to escort the drilling ball with his dazzled pair of eyes in the net: 1-1.
Mxolisi Macuphu’s 51th minute wonder leftfoot cracker, heralded Wits back on the (2-1) lead. In an end-to-end match, 6 minutes later, Musa Nyatama boldly squeezed in the telling equalizer (57min.) from a quickly taken corner-kick: 2-2.
The Buccaneers interim coach Rhulani Mokwena clenched his fists with all the might Mabhida stadium gravity could permit his lean frame to summon. This is it, it appeared.
Wits went ahead again. Cole Alexander unleashed a stunning thunderbolt strike in the 69th minute to uptick the Clever Boys to a 3-2 lead. The Buccaneers (Pirates) goalkeeper was beaten hands down.
Wits’ soared the crescendo of attack which saw Zitha Macheke squander a hard-to-miss chance [78min.] that sent Wits coach Gavin Hunt too the ground to pick himself up from a self-inflicted body throw to the turf; shocked out of his wits.
Pirates’ all-for-nothing search for a 3rd goal left them exposed at the back. Accordingly, the ball fell for Wits with a measured pass that found Phathutshedzo Nange [substituted Terrence Dzvukamanja] who tucked it away in the 82th minute and stretched the advantage: 4-2.
Momentarily, it looked safe enough to secure maximum points for the host until Pirates pulled the 3rd from Gabadinho Mhango’s [83min.] tame strike which Brighton Mhlongo (who came in as a substitute goalkeeper for the injured Peterson) parried in the back of the net. For the umpteenth time, the game was thrown wide opened on a precarious 4-3 slight advantage for Wits.
Both Johannesburg clubs kept finding mounds of energy to surge forward relentlessly far away from the restless Gauteng Province lights. It was quite a spectacle to be hold.
In the 85th minute, Mabaso wanted have a last say when he came close to level the scores. By 94th minute, the Durban crowd had seen it all.
Hunt expressed his concern for conceding three times in a game. He said they usually don’t “defend like the way they did”. He said again that he changed the whole structure on half-time and it paid off for Wits. “We work hard and we don’t have the quality they have,” Hunt said heaving heavily.
The football game was good, commented coach Mokwena. Patently crestfallen, he added that “three goals should be enough to win a game”.
Heaping praises to all the fans who went to the stadium and watched a great game of football. “We ran out of time,” he quipped, emphasising that the technical team will go back to the drawing board.
It pretty looks like trial and error at the moment on the Soweto giants by coach Mokwena. Winning evaded them yet again.
Meanwhile Buccaneers woes continue, the Clever Boys moved into position 2 (two) on the Absa Premiership table with 12 points after 5 (five) league games.