Orlando Pirates snatch last-gasp win against tough 10-man Stellies

Orlando Pirates will be confident of keeping the defence of their MTN8 title on track by reaching the final after earning a hard-fought 2-1 semifinal, first leg win away against a 10-man Stellenbosch FC at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.

Stellenbosch suffered the setback of playing an hour with a man short after the 32nd-minute dismissal of centre-back Thabo Moloisane.

With that setback pinning them onto the back foot, the home team grabbed a lead against the run of play from defender Ismael Toure’s headed goal deep in first-half added time. 

But Pirates ruled the second half against Stellenbosch’s committed defending and seemed destined to take a draw home to Johannesburg after they initially only managed Zakhele Lepasa’s equaliser in the 66th minute.

But with the home team seemingly having done enough to earn a stalemate, five minutes into optional time Patrick Maswanganyi chipped into the box and Deon Hotto got a faint touch with a header to beat goalkeeper Sage Stephens and give Bucs the advantage in the tie.

Bucs will feel they have enough firepower to again edge the second leg at Orlando Stadium on September 24, after the Fifa international date.

The two teams came out throwing punches. 

Sibongiseni Mthethwa stole the ball off Monnapule Saleng to put Iqraam Rayners into space on the right of the box to shoot across the face of goal. Maswanganyi’s drive at the other end flirted with the left upright.

The complexion of a seemingly even contest changed as Moloisane went in with a studs-high challenge to the shin of Maswanganyi and received a straight red card from referee Luxolo Badi. 

In stoppage time Lepasa deflected the ball in from an offside position.

Moments later, almost with the last touch of six minutes of added time, from Fawaaz Basadien’s corner Ivorian central defender Toure — recovered from a clash of heads near the end of the half with Thapelo Xoki — got above two defenders to nod an opener past Sipho Chaine.

After going a man down Stellenbosch had barely looked in the game, but they snatched the lead before the break. 

Down a centre-back, at halftime Stellies coach Steve Barker brought on central defender Athenkosi Mcaba and midfielder Genino Palace for midfielder Andre de Jong and striker Rayners.

As Pirates came out from the changerooms notably lifting the tempo in the hunt for an early equaliser, Stellenbosch redoubled their effort in the challenge and in closing spaces.

Coach Jose Riveiro seemed to have asked Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo to get on the ball more in the second half. The little playmaker turned on some skill and fed Maswanganyi on the left to chip into the box, where the blisteringly on-form Lepasa, showing a predator’s instinct, headed in an eighth goal in seven games past the stranded Stephens in goal.

With Stellenbosch having frustrated Bucs in their search for a winner with great effect, Hotto got on the end of Maswanganyi’s chip to earn Bucs a last-gasp win.