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The Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
Gallants shock Pirates with a late winner in Bloemfontein as Ouaddou's drastic changes continue to backfire
Orlando Pirates' start to the Betway Premiership suffered another huge blow when they lost a second successive match, this time suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Marumo Gallants at a bouncing Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. The loss means Bucs have already given away six points in two league matches under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who continues to chop and change his starting XI. 'We're going to analyse to see what's going wrong, especially in the second half. The changes that we made didn't give us what we expected,' a disappointed Ouaddou said after the match. A goal in referee's optional time by late substitute Jaisen Clifford gave Gallants all three points and took the Free State-based club to the top of the Premiership. It was their second victory in a row after they won their opening match 2-1 against Richards Bay away last Saturday. Pirates dominated the early exchanges and were duly rewarded in the 16th minute when left back Deon Hotto was given enough space to find Patrick Maswanganyi inside the area to tap in the opener. Just before Gallants got their equaliser Pirates were unlucky not to have been awarded a spot kick after Oswin Appollis was fouled inside the area by Siyabonga Nhlapo. A few minutes before that Gallants goalkeeper Washington Arubi had denied both Appollis and Boitumelo Radiopane when he made two point-blank saves. Gallants did well to compose themselves and found an equaliser on the stroke of halftime. It was a team goal as Gallants rotated the ball around the Pirates defence before it reached Daniel Msendami, who made no mistake with a deft finish inside the area. Ouaddou continued to leave last season regulars like Thalente Mbatha, Deano van Rooyen and striker Tshegofatso Mabasa out of his match-day squad. Added to that list in this match was Bucs skipper Nkosinathi Sibisi, whose place was taken by 23-year-old centre back Lebone Seema. Seema was partnered with 19-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who stood in as captain in the absence of Sibisi. Playing this match with one eye on Saturday's blockbuster first leg of the MTN8 semifinal against Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Ouaddou also placed Relebohile Mofokeng and Sipho Mbule on the bench and handed starting berths to Tshepang Moremi and Abdoulaye Mariko. With so many changes, there was limited coherence in Bucs' play as many of these players are yet to fully know each other. As Gallants saw little of the ball, they looked to catch their visitors on the break and continued to try that trick in the second half until Clifford found the winner in the third added minute. Mofokeng and striker Evidence Makgopa were eventually introduced for Moremi and Radiopane early in the second half while former Chippa United player Sinoxolo Kwayiba came on for Mariko to make his debut with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. Try as Pirates did to get the winner, their combinations were simply not having the desired effect as their final ball was poor if not easily defended by Gallants, who looked happy to add a point to the three before they got a bonus with Clifford thumping in the late winner. Having already lost six points in two opening league matches, Ouaddou will go to Saturday's game against Sundowns under huge pressure to get back to winning ways. Anything less than a win in that match will further infuriate some of the Bucs supporters who left Orlando disappointed last Saturday when they opened the league campaign with a 1-0 loss against Sekhukhune United.
The Citizen
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Clifford nets late winner as Pirates suffer back-to-back defeats
Jaisen Clifford scored the winning goal for Bahlabane Ba Ntwa late in the game. Orlando Pirates suffered back-to-back league defeats when they went down 2-1 to Marumo Gallants in a Betway Premiership match played at the Dr Molemela Stadium on Tuesday night. Patrick Maswanganyi's opening goal was cancelled out by Daniel Msendami before Jaisen Clifford scored the winning goal for Bahlabane Ba Ntwa late in the game to condemn Pirates to their second consecutive defeat. After losing their opening game of the season against Sekhukhune United last weekend, Pirates were looking to bounce back to winning ways against Gallants, but it was not to be. Pirates exerted pressure on the Gallants defence from the start and goalkeeper Washington Arubi was called into action in as early as the first minute of the game when he had to parry Boitumelo Radiopane's shot away for a corner kick. From that resultant corner kick Lebone Seema, who was making his first start for Pirates this season, saw his header goes inches over the crossbar. Arubi did well again to parry Tshepo Mashiloane's cross-cum-shot away to safety in the seventh minute as the visitors continued to ask questions on the Gallants defence. The Buccaneers were finally rewarded for their efforts in the 16th minute when Maswanganyi tapped in a perfect low cross from Deon Hotto. Bheki Mabuza wasted a good chance to score the equaliser for Gallants in the 29th minute following a mistake at the back, but he hesitated to take a shot and Mbekezeli Mbokazi took the ball away from him. Arubi, who was having a good game for Gallants, pulled off a triple save in the 37th minute to keep his side in the game. Firstly, he denied Tshepang Moremi on the right, then Oswin Appollis from the rebound and lastly Boitumelo Radiopane from another rebound. Just when it looked like Pirates will take their lead to the break, Daniel Msendami found the equaliser for Bahlabane Ba Ntwa beating Sipho Chaine with a volley from a Mabuza cross on the stoke of half-time. The visitors continued where they left off in the first half by taking the game to the hosts in the second half as they look to find the winning goal. Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou introduced Relebohile Mofokeng and Evidence Makgopa for Moremi and Radiopane respectively in the 57th minute. Makgopa almost had an immediate impact to the game when he hit the side-netting two minutes after coming onto the game. With Pirates pushing many players forward, they left gaps at the back and they were punished late in the game by Clifford.
The South African
25-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Orlando Pirates to assess 29-year-old overseas-based winger!
Orlando Pirates have already signed nine players ahead of the pre-season but there will be more still to come. Pirates will fly to Spain for a third time in a row and will have plenty of new faces aboard. On Tuesday they announced the signing of former Mamelodi Sundowns star Sipho Mbule. The playmaker joins Pirates as free agent after being released by the Brazilians. The eight others being Kabelo Kgositsile, Masindi Nemtajela, Nkosikhona Ndaba, Tshepo Mashiloane, Sihle Nduli, Tshepang Moremi , Sinoxolo Kwayiba and Yanela Mbuthuma. The Sea Robbers are set to begin their pre-season on the 7th of July and all of those players are expected to be there. While those players are signed and sealed Buccaneers, there is reportedly an additional face who will join them. According to Sportswire , Pirates are set to welcome 29-year-old overseas-based winger Jaisen Clifford. 'Orlando Pirates have expressed interest in Jaisen Clifford, and the Soweto Giants have even sent a letter to assess him. Pirates are reportedly seeking cover for both left and right-wing positions and are impressed by Clifford's profile. If Pirates sign Clifford, they'll acquire him for free, as his contract at Etar Veliko Tarnovo is expiring at the end of the season and he does not intend to Clifford is a talented footballer who can play on both flanks. He might be a direct replacement for Monnapule Saleng, who was allegedly sidelined last season after signing a pre-contract elsewhere, reportedly infuriating Pirates' management.' Wrote the publication. With both Relebohile Mofokeng and Monnapule Saleng linked with exits from Pirates, Clifford's presence could be telling. If he impresses, he will be the third winger to join the Buccaneers after Kgositsile and Moremi. Pirates fans would you be happy with signing the experienced Clifford? Let us know by clicking on the comment tab. Or by emailing info@ or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
The South African
20-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Orlando Pirates register interest in Bulgaria-based attacker
Orlando Pirates have reportedly registered their interest in Bulgaria-based attacker Jaisen Clifford. Clifford is currently on the books of Etar Veliko Tarnovo but his current contract is reportedly coming to an end on 30 June. Now, according to Sportswire , Pirates have even written a letter to Clifford inviting him for assessment ahead of next season. Should everything go according to plan, Clifford could join the Buccaneers for their pre-season in Spain in the coming weeks. Clifford, 29, is seen as a cover should either Relebohile Mofokeng or Monnapule Saleng leave Pirates in July. The former Cape Town All Stars winger can play both on the right and left of the field, and he can also play as a centre-forward. The Mpumalanga-born star scored seven goals and registered a single assist in 33 competitive matches this past season. Orlando Pirates target Jaisen Clifford during his time with Cape Town All Stars. Image: FARPost 'Orlando Pirates have expressed interest in Jaisen Clifford, and the Soweto Giants have even sent a letter to assess him,' reads a report. 'Pirates are reportedly seeking cover for both left and right-wing positions and are impressed by Clifford's profile.' Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
