Pirates amp up pressure on Sundowns with Arrows demolition

Orlando Pirates kept up the pressure on Betway Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns with a 5-0 demolition of Golden Arrows at the Orlando Amstel Arena last night.

A brace each from Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis and an own goal from Ayabulela Maxwele earned Pirates their 17^th win of the season.

The victory keeps Abdeslam Ouaddou’s charges in second with 54 points after 23 games, two points behind Mamelodi Sundowns who edged Durban City 1-0 away in Durban on the same evening.

The Buccaneers made a blistering start to the match, creating several clear-cut chances and were unlucky not to take the lead in as early as the first minute. Mofokeng took a clever shot towards goal, but the ball hit the upright with Edward Maova well-beaten.

Abafana Bes’thende created some chances of their own as the half progressed and they came close to finding the opener through Angelo Van Rooi in the 14^th minute, but his header went narrowly wide of goal.

Arrows were to pay for this miss two minutes later when Mofokeng beat Maova with a beautiful curler just outside the box to give Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was the Bafana Bafana forward’s eighth league goal of the season.

Pirates doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when they were awarded a free kick just outside the Arrows penalty box following a foul on Mofokeng. The ball was quickly played to Appollis who took an audacious shot from long way off, but the ball was able to creep into the net.
Things went from bad to worse in the 36^th minute when Masindi Nemtajela’s cross from the right deflected off Maxwele’s leg and left Maova wrong-footed.

Pirates led 3-0 at the break.

Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi made three changes at the start of the second half in an effort to stop the demolition, but it was Pirates who scored again just after the hour mark. Following a mistake at the back from Arrows, Mofokeng glided past several players before beating Maova with a cool finish for his second goal of the match and his ninth goal in the league this season.

Appollis was to put the final nail into Arrows’ coffin when he pounced onto a rebound from Andre de Jong’s shot that hit the upright to make it 5-0 for Pirates.