Six weeks with a team is too short to get the system into players’ heads… maybe next season the squad will compete, said Jozef Zinnbauer at the end of the game.
Orlando Pirates have mastered five wins in the league since the hiring of the German coach Jozef “Joe” Zinnbauer. They now boast 36 points, a distant imagination a few weeks ago.
The Buccaneers beat Chippa United 2-1 in the Absa Premiership league at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth (PE) last night.
The three goals of the match were scored in just under 30 minutes from kick off. For the remainder of the clash, the fans watched their stars tug at each until the referee blew his final whistle.
Gabadinho Mhango slotted in his first goal from the penalty spot on the 12th minute and notched up his second eight minutes later [20′]. Chidi Kwem’s 29th minute strike gave Pirates heartstopping moments as Chippa kept chipping in their defence.
The Chippa head coach Norman Mapeza said the game was lost in the first 15 minutes. He added that in the second half they pushed for an equalizer but Pirates were watertight at the back.
Pirates win over the Chilli Boys means that they hopped both Pretoria sides, SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns, to seize the 2nd league position. They trail fellow Soweto neighbours Kaizer Chiefs by nine (9) points and are one game ahead.
Lamontville Golden Arrows 1-0 SuperSport United
Playing in front of the home crowd in full glare, Golden Arrows were gifted a goal-cum-win on a bright Saturday afternoon in Durban. An own goal (OWG) by Luke Fleurs ensured Arrows continued their unbelievable 2019/20 season.
The sweetly fluid Abafana Bes’thende edged out lethargic SuperSport by a 1-0 at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont. Having started the game 3rd, Matsatsantsa a Pitori have regressed to 4th position.
Separated by goal difference against Maritzburg United but equal on 27 points, Arrows find themselves perched on the 8th berth in the league standings, right behind the former.
Highlands Park 1-0 Baroka
Baroka nearly made Highlands Park’s night seem longer than it had to under the Makhulong Stadium floodlights in Tembisa.
“Man of the match” Bevan Fransman delivered the 3-point snatcher (goal) on the 70th minute for the Lions of the North on Saturday. This elusive victory comes as a relief for coach Owen Da Gama’s charges.
“We have never worked so hard. If things aren’t going your way, you have to work a bit harder,” the pensive Da Gama commented in a post-match interview.
Baroka FC heaped pressure on their hosts until the last kick of the league tussle. Their coach Dylan Kerr had this to say after the game:
The boys started to play. Making the wrong decisions. The goal came through a free-kick. A mistake. We didn’t really test the keeper. A credit to the players.