Orlando Pirates will need to fork out big money to sign a replacement for Relebohile Mofokeng. Fortunately, they recouped a big fee for the 21-year-old.
Pirates look to Cape Town for their Mofokeng replacement
The search for Relebohile Mofokeng’s successor at Orlando Pirates is well and truly underway. The club is doubling down on efforts to sign Cape Town City star Emile Witbooi, but the 17-year-old will come at a cost.
Pirates could have found the new Mbokazi too
Mbekezeli Mbokazi is a physically gifted central defender with crisp distribution skills and an ability to bring the ball out of defence. Mbokazi makes up for his lack of height with electric recovery speed. His stock rose sharply in the World Cup, attracting interest from Napoli and Nottingham Forest. In 20-year-old Cristian Derbyshire, Pirates have a player with a similar stylistic profile.
Messi aims for immortality
Defending champions Argentina survived an almighty scare, coming from 2-0 down with 11 minutes on the clock, to eventually beat Egypt in a thriller. The great Lionel Messi was at the forefront, as he usually is, missing a penalty on 21 minutes but atoning spectacularly with an assist for Cristian Romero’s 79th-minute goal and then a goal of his own on 83 minutes. Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez completed the stunning comeback in stoppage time. Messi and Argentina meet Switzerland in the early hours of Sunday morning in the quarter-finals.