Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns are locked in a proper Betway Premiership title race.
Both sides are sitting on 25 points, with goal difference separating them on the log. But as the season grinds on, one advantage could work in the Buccaneers’ favour: goals from defence.
ORLANDO PIRATES WITH HEALTHY GOALS DISTRIBUTIONS
They say goals win you matches, but goals from different areas of the pitch win you leagues. And this is where the Sea Robbers are quietly dangerous.
Pirates have scored 16 league goals this season, and three of those have come from defenders. Sundowns, on the other hand, have found the net 19 times, but only one goal has come from their backline.
For Sundowns, young centre-back Malibongwe Khoza remains the only defender on the scoresheet, netting during the 4–1 win over Richards Bay at Loftus on 27 September. Since then, the goals have largely been left to attackers and midfielders.
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s Pirates are spreading the load far better. Nkosikhona Ndaba delivered from left-back in the 3–1 away win over Golden Arrows at King Zwelithini Stadium on 5 November.
Veteran Deon Hotto, now 35, rolled back the years when he scored in the 3–0 win over Chippa United on 31 August at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
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Then there’s the exciting central defender Lebone Seema, who announced himself in style with that screaming volley in the 1–0 win over Orbit College at Orlando Stadium on 26 August.
DURBAN CITY IN THE BETWAY PREMIERSHIP
Next on the agenda for Pirates is a visit to KwaZulu-Natal, where they will take on Durban City on Saturday, 29 November. The match is set to get underway at 15:30 at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Meanwhile, Sundowns travel north for continental duty, with Kabo Yellow set to meet Rulani Mokwena’s MC Alger in North Africa on Friday evening, kicking off at 21:00 in the CAF Champions League.