Nkota Scores Twice As Pirates Edge AmaZulu

Orlando Pirates reclaimed the top spot of the Betway Premiership after edging AmaZulu 2-1 at Orlando Stadium on Friday night.

Relebohile Mofokeng was the star of the show as he assisted Mohau Nkota by scoring twice in the first half to maintain a perfect start to their Betway Premiership campaign.

The match started on a low pace with Pirates cautious in their search for a fifth consecutive win in the league and AmaZulu patient in their search for the first victory in the league.

As the match started to gain momentum, it was brought to constant stops as Deano Van Rooyen was stretched off with a muscle injury and was replaced by Paseko Mako, who was making his debut this season.

Pirates drew first blood through Nkota’s wonder strike from outside the box, netting his first goal for the club in top-flight football.

Nkota returned in the 36^th minute for a brace. Set up by Mofokeng again, Nkota beautifully side-footed at the bottom corner, beating Richard Ofori for the second time in the first half.

The second half started similarly to the first, with Pirates’ willing running to extend their lead and AmaZulu’s dogged defense to deny them the third.

Their last attempt on target came through Mofokeng’s attempt at a hat trick of assists as he set up Ndlondlo face-to-face with Ofori. However, Ndlondlo fluffed the finish and was denied by Ofori’s string hand.

AmaZulu did not go down without a fight, and they got their consolation goal in the 93^rd minute after a defensive blunder from Thabiso Sesane and Selaelo Rasebotja, who attempted to build from the back before Hendrick Ekstein nicked it and chipped the shot over Sipho Chaine.

Despite their late enthusiasm, an equalizer was too much to ask from AmaZulu as they succumbed to Nkota’s brace. This means AmaZulu’s search for their first win over Pirates at Orlando Stadium continues.