Orlando Pirates were held to a 2-2 stalemate by English outfit Plymouth Argyle in their pre-
season friendly held at Banús Football Centre in Marbella on Friday night. It was a historic occasion on Spain’s south coast where the two sides faced off for the first time ever in the all-too-crucial practice match. The Soweto Giants initially battled to find some rhythm early on, with Plymouth looking the
more fluid of the two sides on attack.
The early chances however went the way of the Buccaneers, who could have taken the lead in the 12th minute when Makhehleni Makhaula found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Michael Cooper, only to hook his shot well over the bar. Monnapule Saleng followed it up with his own spurned opportunity as he pulled his effort wide after getting on the end of quick transition ball from deep.
Nearly half an hour of play elapsed before The Pilgrims got their first sniff at the Bucs goal, but that chance also went abegging as they only mustered up a miscued shot from close
range.
Bucs keeper Sipho Chaine was eventually called into action in the 37th minute when he
pulled off an excellent stop to keep out a powerful shot struck from close range by Muhamed
Tijani.
The opener came at the other end as Plymouth failed to make a clearance deep inside their
territory, allowing Evidence Makgopa the chance to guide the ball over the line following a
desperate scramble deep inside the penalty area. The English side however hit back almost immediately, with teenage striker Freddie Issaka drawing them level in the 40th minute.
It only took the Buccaneers three minutes to restore their lead, with their second goal coming
through Olisa Ndah who was on hand to capitalise on another defensive mix-up from the
English side. Wholesale changes were made at the break by both camps, and it was the men in green
who were quickest off the blocks following the restart. They were afforded the chance to
draw level from the spot seconds into the second half after Thabiso Monyane was adjudged
to have brought down Issaka inside the box.
Striker Ryan Hardie was entrusted with spot-kick duties, but replacement keeper Melusi
Buthelezi was equal to the task as he went low to his right to deny the former Scotland youth
international.
Having been let off the hook, Pirates looked to extend their lead and made several forays
into Plymouth territory with none yielding clear chances at goal. A defensive lapse at the other end brought The Pilgrims back level after the hour mark when excellent work from Ibrahim Cissoko on the left flank set Callum Wright up for an easy tap-in on the back post.
A crucial goal-line clearance from Deon Hotto kept scores level in the 77th minute before the
Soweto Giants set about trying to restore their lead through Tshegofatso Mabasa, who
misplaced his attempt at goal.
The Bucs striker came closer to the target in the dying moments when he got on the end of a
cutback from Mohau Nkota before striking the upright with the keeper rooted to the spot.The two sides continued their toil in the sweltering heat, but no further goals were forthcoming as they eventually had to settle for a stalemate.
Pirates XI: Chaine (Buthelezi 46’), Ndah (Sibisi 46’) , Sesane, Lebitso (Monyane 46’), Maela
(Hotto 46’), Makhaula (Mbatha 46’), Rasebotja (Baloni 46’, Ndlondlo 80’), Saleng (Kapinga
46’), Mofokeng (Nkota 62’), Maswanganyi (Kimvuidi 46’), Makgopa (Mabasa 46’).
