Orlando Pirates win to close gap behind leaders Wits
Second-place Orlando Pirates closed the gap behind leaders Bidvest Wits to two points with a 4-2 victory over lowly Chippa United Tuesday in a lively South African Premiership match.
Torrential pre-match rain in Soweto made the Orlando Stadium pitch treacherous, leading to many mistakes, two own-goals, a penalty and several genuine claims for spot-kicks.
Captain Happy Jele, former Pirate Phetso Maphanga (own-goal), Vincent Pule and Zimbabwean Kudakwashe Mahachi scored for the Buccaneers, who led 2-1 at half-time.
Tebogo Tlolane scored the first Chippa goal and Pirate Innocent Maela chested the ball into his net to leave Chippa trailing 3-2 before Mahachi assured the home side of victory.
The result left Port Elizabeth-based Chippa just one point above bottom club Maritzburg United having collected a meagre two points from five league matches.
"It was just as well we scored four goals because our defence was very fragile," admitted Serbia-born Pirates coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic.
"We need to tighten up at the back before facing Platinum in Zimbabwwe this weekend when the group phase of the CAF Champions League kicks off."
Joel Masutha, the third coach of Chippa this season, said: "We gifted Pirates three of their four goals."