GOLDEN ARROWS vs ORLANDO PIRATES | ABSA

Competition: Absa Premiership
Date: Sunday, 12 September 2009
Venue: Chatsworth Stadium
Kick-off: 15h00

Not since the 2003/2004 season have Orlando Pirates beaten Golden Arrows in Durban in the league — and they will have to wait another year after drawing 0-0 at the Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The first half saw Pirates enjoying the better of the opening stages, before Arrows visibly grew in confidence and purpose after the 25-minute mark.

The game got off to a lively start as both sides created chances in the opening ten minutes.

The threat from the home side came via the way of a couple of dangerous Richard Henyekane free kicks into the box.

For Pirates, Dikgang Mabalane fired a shot from an acute angle into the side-netting in the seventh minute, while Teko Modise, after latching onto a long cross-field ball from Mabalane, drove an angled shot just over goal a minute later.

The next clear-cut goal chance came 20 minutes later when Nhlanhla Zothwane fired in a scorching effort from 30 yards out which saw Pirates keeper Moeneeb Josephs doing really well to save.

In the 35th minute Abafana Bes’thende came close when Henyekane’s half-volley from 20 yards out nearly caught out Josephs, who looked relieved to see the ball clear the bar by a couple of inches.

Pirates looked the more purposeful team early in the second half and were nearly rewarded for their efforts when Terror Fanteni burst clean through on goal.

However, the former Ajax Cape Town striker waited too long to pull the trigger, allowing Siyabonga Sangweni to get back and make a brilliant last-gasp challenge.

Soon after, in the 55th minute, Mabalalane found the ball at his feet in the box and the goal at his mercy, but got his shot all wrong, dragging it way off target.

Modise then came agonisingly close to opening his 2009/2010 scoring account in the 57th minute as his right-footed curling shot shaved the upright with Helton Da Rocha a beaten man.

Arrows were however able to stem the tide when Thamsanga Gabuza got in on goal, firing in a near-post shot, which Josephs dealt comfortably with.

With Henyekane tightly marked all game by Lucas Thwala, it was left to the likes of Philani Shange to take up the goal-scoring baton as he fired an 80th-minute shot from just outside the box just wide of goal.

The final minutes of the game belonged mainly to Pirates, but they just could not find the inspiration to break down a determined Arrows defence, which was well marshalled by man-of-the match Sangweni.

TEAMS

Arrows: Da Rocha; Musonda, Masinga, Sangweni, J Henyekane, Manqana (Mshengu 63’), Khuboni, Shange (Vezi 81’), Zothwane, R Henyekane, Gabuza (Kombe 68’)

Pirates: Josephs, Mahamutsa, Thwala, Lekgwathi, Jele, Mabalane, Mhlongo, Jali (Kamwendo 76’), Modise, Mashego, Fanteni (Masina 69’)