Mofokeng’s Hat-Trick Sends Pirates Back To Summit

Relebohile Mofokeng led Orlando Pirates back to the top of the Betway Premiership table with a stunning hat-trick in their dominant 6-0 victory over TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Buccaneers now sit on 51 points from 22 matches, one point ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, who dropped to second place with 50 points from 21 games.

The six goals for the Buccaneers were inspired by Mofokeng, who netted a hat-trick, while Tshepang Moremi and Kamogelo Sebelebele also found the back of the net, alongside an own goal by Mlungisi Mbunjana.

Pirates went into this encounter looking to bounce back after a disappointing result the previous weekend, where they dropped two points in a draw against Siwelele at home.

The Buccaneers began the match on the front foot, dominating the opening 20 minutes, and their early pressure paid off when Mofokeng opened the scoring with a superb right-footed free kick into the top left corner.

The opportunity came after a brilliant through pass by Yanela Mbuthuma found Moremi, who was brought down by Lentshwe Motaung, resulting in a straight red card.

Pirates maintained their momentum, creating numerous scoring chances, but goalkeeper Ira Tape was kept busy, producing several important saves to keep his side in the game.

However, the visitors eventually doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Moremi fired a left-footed strike from outside the box into the bottom right corner, following a short corner routine involving Deon Hotto.

Just before halftime, Pirates grabbed their third goal in an unusual way as Mbunjana inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting a back pass.

The goalkeeper, Tape, was still down on the ground appealing for a foul and was unaware of the situation, which led to the ball rolling into the net. The first half ended with Pirates comfortably leading 3-0.

In the second half, the Buccaneers continued to party, scoring three goals within that period.

Pirates scored in the 52nd minute when Mofokeng struck a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Oswin Appollis following a swift counterattack.

The next goal came in the 64th minute through Sebelebele, who finished with a right-footed shot from the right side of the six-yard box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Masindi Nemtajela.

Just six minutes later, Mofokeng completed his first ever hat-trick with a right-footed strike from the centre of the box into the top right corner, once again set up by Appollis.

The Buccaneers maintained their impressive performance, creating several chances in the closing minutes, but were unlucky not to extend the score further as the match ended 6-0 in their favor.

Pirates will now pause for the FIFA international break and will return to league action on 7 April, hosting Golden Arrows at Orlando Amstel Arena.