Patosi brace salvages draw for Cape Town at Pirates
Ayanda Patosi scored two opportunist goals to salvage a 2-2 draw for Cape Town City at Orlando Pirates Wednesday in a South African Premiership thriller.
The 'Buccaneers' seemed set to join Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic at the top of the table after seven rounds having built an early two-goal advantage.
Zambian Augustine Mulenga struck on eight minutes and Innocent Maela doubled the lead eight minutes later at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
But Cape Town hit back in the closing stages and Patosi offered hope with a volleyed goal on 69 minutes after using his chest to control the ball.
He struck again with 13 minutes remaining by sending a free-kick from outside the box through a crowded goalmouth and past goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane into the net.
"I will always shoot at goal from just outside the box and that is how the first goal came about," said man-of-the-match Patosi.
"Some might consider the second goal lucky as it passed so many players, but not me. I have been practising free-kicks a lot and this was my reward."
The comeback by City was timely having suffered a 4-1 thrashing from the other Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs, in Cape Town last Saturday.
The visitors were without coach Benni McCarthy, who remained in Cape Town to be with his ill wife.
McCarthy was part of the Porto team that won the 2004 UEFA Champions League under Jose Mourinho and he played for Blackburn and West Ham in the English Premier League.
Wits and Celtic have 13 points, Pirates 11, Chiefs 10 and title-holders Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United nine while Cape Town lie 10th with six.
Recent signing Lebohang Maboe scored from close range when the ball broke loose to earn 2016 CAF Champions League winners Sundowns a 1-0 away win over Golden Arrows in Durban.