Black Leopards 0 - Orlando Pirates (1) 2
Ndulula 10, McCarthy 70
Benni McCarthy made an instant impact on his return to life in the PSL, the new Bucs striker coming off the bench to inspire defending champions Orlando Pirates to victory against Black Leopards.
While it was not their most convincing performance, Bucs coach Julio Leal will be happy that he got the defence of their title with a victory, just as they did last season when they beat rookies Vasco Da Gama under the guidance of Ruud Krol, and that McCarthy, the much talked about man, was able to score on debut.
It took only 10 minutes for Pirates to score their first goal of the season, the visitors taking advantage of some poor defending from a Leopards side that looked a bit shaky in the beginning of the match.
From a Daine Klate free-kick, Leopards goalkeeper Azwinndini Maphaha came out to clear the ball to safety, but the ball fell invitingly for striker Bongani Ndulula, who simply lobbed it into an empty net for the season’s opening goal.
Leopards had their tails between their legs after conceding the goal, hardly troubling Bucs for close on 10 minutes.
So to try and spark some life into his teammates, Leopards midfielder Edgar Manaka tried his luck from range after the 20-minute mark. Bucs ’keeper Moeneeb Josephs was equal to the task though, pulling off a stunning save, pushing the ball out for a corner.
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| Pirates Striker Benni McCarthy |
Lidoda Duvha, as Leopards are affectionately known, then grew in confidence and were unlucky not to level matters just before the half-hour mark when tricky playmaker Raymond Monama chipped a ball that went agonisingly over the bar following a rare mistake from Happy Jele.
Minutes later, Thabo Mongalo squandered Leopards’ best opportunity of the half, the former SuperSport United striker shooting straight at Josephs after finding himself in acres of space. Monama had played in a telling ball through for him, but he stuttered and Josephs was able to put pressure on him and make the save, much to the dismay of Leopards coach Sunday Chidzambwa.
Not to be outdone by their opponents, Pirates launched an attack down the right.
Tlou Segolela made a brilliant run down the flank, played the ball into the area, but Ndulula failed to connect and the ball went harmlessly out for a throw-in. Bucs went into the break with their one-goal lead.
The second half started very slow. Both sides took a cautious approach, which made the encounter somewhat of a bore.
There was excitement, though, when Benni McCarthy was called on by Leal to get ready to come on. The Bucs fans cheered the former Bafana Bafana striker as he put on his boots and took off his tracksuit.
And when he came on, Pirates fans were uncontrollable, waving their flags into the air and jumping for joy. His first touch was good, controlling the ball with his chest and then playing it out wide to Segolela.
It took him just eight minutes to open his account for Bucs.
His strike partner, Ndumiso Mabena, mis-kicked the ball after receiving a pass from Oupa Manyisa and McCarthy, being the predator he is, was there at the far post to finish and seal the three points for the champions.
As the clock closed in on 90 minutes, clearcut chances were hard to come by as Leopards tried their best to at least salvage a point, but the Bucs defence were just too stubborn. - Saturday Star.
Source -http://iol.co.za
