Mamelodi Sundowns were left to rue missed chances as they fell to Orlando Pirates 1-0 at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Sundowns had the first chance of the game, Hlompho Kekana saw his free-kick go over the bar after Sibusiso Vilakazi was brought down in the opening two minutes on the edge of the box.
Downs looked threatening from set-pieces and went close after Anele Ngcongca’s header crashed off the upright before the danger was cleared. Gaston Sirino and Thapelo Morena had chances soon after as Downs searched for the opening goal.
Pirates scored with their first clear opportunity of the half against the run of play as Gabadinho Mhango was put through on goal and managed to slot past Onyango after half an hour of play.
Downs picked up two yellow cards in quick succession after Andile Jali and Tebogo Langerman were booked before the break. Coach Pitso Mosimane reacted immediately and made a change at half time bringing on Tiyani Mabunda for Jali.
Downs controlled the early part of the second half as Orlando Pirates kept their shape and looked to be dangerous on the counter-attack.
Mosimane welcomed back attacker Phakamani Mahlambi after a lengthy injury spell as he looked to find a way back into the game.
Sirino thought he had found the equaliser when he beat Wayne Sandilands from range only to be denied by the woodwork as the ball rebounded across the face of goal.
It would end up being a day of bad luck as Downs created plenty of chances but were unable to convert as The Buccaneers secured the victory.
Orlando Pirates (30’ Mhango) 1 – 0 Mamelodi Sundowns
Langerman is lucky to be in the starting line up. The guy was losing every ball and his square balls were going astray. But as to why Pitso has confidence in him, I know not. Our downfall is overutilising same players in all the competitions. Certain players like Ngoma, Mohomi, Mweene etc. were not given enough game time to be competitive. Our ambitions (rather Pitso’s ambitions) was our downfall.
Players need to be selected on merit not because they are indebted to Pitso. Maybe the coach has ran his course and must take the Wydad offer on the table
I agree with you member on langerman. His days as a professional footballer I think are done. He has been very dissapointing this season. This should be his last season. Bra Hlompo also need to be properly managed. He can no longer give us 90 minutes. We need to sign quality players in this window period. Left back, two central midfielders and a striker. Not too sure if we really want Coach Pitso to take the Waydad’s offer. He still has to win us a 2nd star and a Mtn 8 but the fact he has not sign with us yet is affecting his and the team’s performance.
Pitso is now playing with dead wood… Langerman, Villa, Arendse, Ncgoncga, Kekana, Mabunda… and even Zwane. Teams like Wits and Supersport… are very progressive and dont beg dead wood
I don’t agree with you there Member, we played very well and it’s just unlucky to miss those chances. Look at the one of Gaston Sirino member, we were very unlucky to wrap up the game. Let’s rally behind the One and the Only Jingle Mosimane. Shapa Pitso Shapaaaaaaaa.
I agree with you member. I know I often differ in many occasion with the coach’decisions but I do not think yesterday was his (Pitso) mistake for not winning the game. I was impressed by the players’ performance hence wouldn’t single them out this time.They played as a team, they lost as a team. Even Pirates coach confess in the post-match interview that Pirates needed a lady-luck yesterday to win the that game and of course it’s exactly what they got.
Members it wasn’t our day haglac masandawana ?
It was not at bad performance at but certain players need to up their game. Langerman for instance did not perform at all. Even our central defence was sixes and sevens when Pirates was attacking!It was easy to tell it was a matter of time before pirates would get a goal. As for me i think we looked dangerous more on set pieces than on open play. We did get behind the defence to deserve a goal.
Indeed, we lacking final touch. Imagine the ball missed by Maboe
Our team is agieng we need to be honest with that fact. Thought player like Seabi will be introduced gradually , but our coach knows .
Seabi is injured
Downs players must sit down and vow to win all games and forget what Chiefs and Wits are doing by doing that they can win all the remaining thirteen games to equal the 71 points they achieved before that alone can make them to be Champions or second place but I doubt if they will be another team which can achieve that except Downs.
Forget about nine points gap just run your race you can end up victorious play each and every game as a final no more two many touches or good possession football just do the basics of scoring goals.
I’m done of crying about underperforming players because they don’t select themselves but the coach,kby forever
We were just unlucky not to get anything from that game.Our central midfield exposed our defense for Pirates’ goal,Hlompo likes press high up the field leaving a big void in the middle,he is playing like Matlaba they both run all over the field,he should learn when to press and when to keep a shape.Yes our team is very aging and there seems to be no sign of dealing with that,even when you look at our bench you find Adrense and Mabunda and that’s not a good sign.We don’t want to be like Al Ashly,Egypt,Ivory Coast,Cameroon who were happy to play the likes of Song,Abotrika every game when they were very old.Something needs to be done to create a space for young players.Morena is more effective when playing as a right back,Langerman sometimes forgets he is I the field.Langerman,Mabunda,Anele,Mweene,Kekana,Nascimento Adrense,our future doesn’t look good.Make no mistake luck was not on our side last night.
Our Coach needs to alter his statement “We don’t need to beat all big teams to win the league”. wait till we also meet the big teams in CAF you’ll agree with the above statement. Point I am trying to make, our team is just average this season and I’ve made peace.
R.I.P to the shoe shine and piano, we seem to have adopted the new “Javelin football” approach which does not yield good scoring opportunities.
Masandawana, I agree luck was not on our side BUT we should also introspect and make corrections were necessary. Langerman has not been performing in the last few games and he makes silly/cheap mistakes and does not add to our attack anymore, maybe it’s fatigue because we know his capabilities. Also bra Hlompo does not have the same energy he used to have, he sometimes looses the ball at crucial moments and the opposition attacks us havily from his mistatkes, again maybe it is fatigue also. Mr Jingles should really start rotating his squad havily otherwise we are going down slowly.
It was not our day
All was and still well despite the loss and congratulate to the boys, led by the passionate Sir Pitso. The team has been playing in and out and need to be commended for the spirit they display on the field day in and out.
Suggestion: To get a striker of Raphael Chukwu calibre and Maritzburg United goalie to deputize Onyango
I think we’re playing the same way we did against Wit’s.. when they were 1 man down…. After considering a GOAL Pirates were sitting back leaving only Mahango to CHASE all the balls played upfront..but our beautiful technical team didn’t pick that… STILL PLAYING WITH,NGCONCA, TEBOGO,MADISHA,LEBUSA..ALL 4.. WHY!!! …. instead of introduction of STRIKERS.. MAGALWA/MAHLAMBI… TAKE NGCONCA AND VILLA OUT.. SINCE WE WANT TO WIN THE GAME.. SOMETIMES WE PLAY AS IF WE HAVE A CHOICE….WE DON’T.. SUNDOWNS DON’T HAVE PLAN B….THE SAD PART PIRATES WAS NOT ALL OVER US..NOW PEOPLE ARE MAKING NOISE AS IF, PIRATES WAS HAVING A SHOW…OUR ONLY MISTAKE WAS NOT TO CREATE OUR OWN LUCK AND SCORE GOALS…I DON’T BLAME GUYS FOR TRYING WE TRIED,ONE GOAL IS THE ONLY THING COACH PISTO WAS CRYING FOR..that was going to change the whole game…Sirino really doesn’t know how to play without MSHISHI!!!…that is so very unprofessional of him.. technical team MUST CORRECT THAT FROM THIS BOY… LASTLY I FEEL SORRY FOR OUR COACH WHO ALWAYS SHOW ON THE TOUCH LINE HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO WIN THE GAME… Pisto plz it was not our day..but a change of approach, maybe could have got us something… AGAIN CHIEFS WON’T WIN THE LEAGUE..
I agree with you member. All we lacking is plan B when trying to get a goal. Second half Pirates was defending and to me we had no reasons to substitutes attackers for attackers, but at least sacrifices 1 defensive midfielder for more attacking players.
It was necessary for pitso to introduce maboe lets be honest
Like it or not coach Pitso has run his race and has run out of ideas. What also is apparent is that he is not taking any advice from his technical team. we can blame all the players but fact is Hlompho is finished tuu and is doing damage to the performance of players like Jali, Zwane and Villa. Masandawana let us accept and live with it that if Zwane is not playing we are bound to loose.
And let us face the reality that after Rhulani we failing to produce good performances and we failing to beat other big teams. When last did we win against pirates, waits, chiefs and Cape town city.
Langerman,Mabunda,Hlompho,Ncgoango and Onyango these guys use to be good but lately average and bount to make us pay deally.Pitso at cul de sac.
@billy your Rhulani failed at the very team that we lost to last night,and let me remind u,last season we won the league and reached the semi finals of the champions League without Rhulani…..this season we hv already won the Telkom cup,we hv reached the last 8 of the champions League without losing a game,we are still in contention for the league title without Rhulani,so I don’t understand where this perception that Rhulani was the master mind behind our success comes from,or u just hate Pitso in such a way that everything he has done at sundowns doesn’t make u happy?
I wonder why coach took selfies with opposing supporters only God knows. something fishy here
@Zipho… I dont understand why u have to respond to such nonsense Pitso has proven himself as the best coach SA has ever produced and anyone who has a problem with that needs his head examined.
@Jaws Buda you are right Member, some of our Members ARE really out of order,@ Zipho is really talking nonsense, Rulani have been proven that he is useless but he comes with that kak here that Rulani was behind our success. some members here really need to be examined, something very wrong upstairs. IQ dropping so fast @Muzzi included.
@Zipho, MY SINCERE APPOLOGIES SANDAWANA, I WANTED TO SAY @BILLY that Member’s IQ is very low.
I am reading comments that are out of order here, blaming and swearing at our players and the coach, all those who criticize the team and players don’t check your facts. Our squad is a good mixture of youth and experience, Sundowns is still going to WIN, DRAW and LOSE GAMES. The Zebras are frustrating you and you blood pressures go high. I said it before Pitso is to blame for putting the team so high that you all don’t appreciate but keep on grumbling. PIRATES WAS MORE FRESHER THAN US. we won Telkom already, we are topping our champions league, we are number 2 on the domestic league BUT people are GRUMBLING NOT HAPPY. stop grumbling and go to stadiums to support the team and all our players are fine, we just need Anthony Laffor and Phakamani to assist the strikers. HLOMPHO STILL HAS 3 YEARS TO PLAY, IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE WITH OUR SUCCESS.
well said member!
Asingalwi Masandawana amahle, a true sandawana will know tht we the best team in RSA ryt now and we hv been for so many years, we will never win all the games, I lost on Wednesday but surprisingly I slept ok, and tht was bcos with our fixture congestion we outplayed Pirates, they got one clear chance and scored, we not a poor side, not at all, playing Wits, Pirates and SSU this weekend, that was always gonna be tough but after these games nizobona, we’ve been there before, if there’s one team that comes back strongly on the second half it’s the Mighty yellow,
Lets not forget that BUCS is onform and for me our Team — Sandawana played well, defensively and in attack,but if you can remember the game between Bucs and Bidvest. You will agree with me
The son of the soil, love him or hate him,he is taking our team to a level we have never reached. Always criticised due to his openness, most don’t understand him.
He got the whole South Africa buzzing by just expressing his dislike about showboating. Amazingly, all those who insult him never went far in the game
He got radio stations talking, (Metro Fm) he is insulted, condemed because of his opinion and football teachings.
They think he is arrogant yet very humane and knowledgeable about the game. He Calls a spade a spade, played at highest level, born and bread in Kagiso
One of our own, very refreshing to listen to him when he talks, lot of passion for the game and very successful Africa coach in our club’s history and in our life time.
He always reminds me of who I am as black person when he does interviews,very patriotic, like to promote and uplift the life of next local person. Always talk facts and his successes made lot of emenies in football fraternity.
Our rivaries can’t sleep, when he is around. Created new records, changed the status core in our fool history.
I’m talking about Sir Pitso, Dr Mosimane. Waaaaw, love you coach, wish I can meet you in person one day.
He put Sundowns in the world football map. We are a well respected team in Africa because of him. We are in top 10 in Africa.
We just won the Cup, we playing group stages of Champions League with two games to to go. We are defending Champs
We are playing against well rested teams. I’m hurt we lost but I’m a happy Sundows fan.
I said it, I’m saying it again, 9 points is within reach in football , Sundowns will bounce back. They are still going to drop points like us.
Lets chil and support our team, I will be there on Sunday. Remember Sky is the limit, good luck boys