Zimbabweans involved in goals as Magesi hold Pirates
Veteran Zimbabweans Elvis Chipezeze and Edmore Chirambadare had roles in the goals as Orlando Pirates and Magesi ended their South African Premiership seasons with a 1-1 draw on Wednesday.
Stand-out performances from goalkeeper Chipezeze in the richest African national league have earned him a recall to the national squad at the age of 35 for June friendlies in Morocco.
But he conceded a soft goal after only seven minutes at a chilly Orlando Stadium in Soweto, allowing a Patrick Maswanganyi shot from the D to bounce over him into the net.
It gave second-placed Pirates a lead they retained until the 32th minute when 33-year-old Chirambadare raced into the area and fired across goalkeeper Sipho Chaine into the far corner.
Chipezeze redeemed himself midway through the second half when he parried a close-range shot from Mohau Nkota to safety.
Pirates, who had to settle for a third consecutive runners-up place behind Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premiership, dominated possession in both halves.
But bottom-half Magesi became increasingly competitive as the match progressed and deserved the unexpected point.
A season that promised so much for Pirates ended with them lifting only one trophy of the five they sought -- a knockout competition among the top eight finishers in the previous league.
The biggest disappointment came in the CAF Champions League semi-finals where they twice squandered an aggregate lead in the second leg before losing to Egyptian club Pyramids.
A change of coaches with former Derry City forward Owen da Gama, 63, taking over revitalised Magesi, who were odds-on favourites to be relegated halfway through the season.
The club from northern city Polokwane finished with 31 points, five more than bottom club SuperSport United, who host Golden Arrows on Thursday in the final match of the season.
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