Relebohile Mofokeng’s first half goal was enough to see Orlando Pirates beat Magesi FC at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.  

Mofokeng feigned his run outside the box on the stroke of half time by turning his marker upside down and while Magesi was lackadaisical and failed to close him down, the youngster curled the ball at the far corner, to see the Soweto Giants move three points behind Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the Betway Premiership table.  

Pirates is now on 27 points, three behind Sundowns, who beat Richards Bay 2-0 at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.   

Pirates were made to sweat for full points by a 10-man Magesi, who knocked them out of the Carling Knockout Cup first round in October.

The Buccaneers came into this game in high spirits from their recent mauling of Marumo Gallants, an 8-1 win that saw them record the joint-biggest margin of victory in the history of the PSL, matching SuperSport United’s win of the same score against Zulu Royals in the 2003-2004 season.

They did not waste a lot of chances as Makhehleni Mkhaula recorded their first shot on target in the first five minutes, sending a curved ball from outside the box but Elvis Chipezeze was equal to it.

Mofokeng almost drew first blood for Pirates after Deano Van-Royen picked him in the box, but he could not get his shot away, having his picked-pocketed by the Magesi defense.

As the game looked to simmer down with five minutes left to play in the first half, Magesi FC was reduced to 10 men after Lehlogonolo Mokone was sent off for a high tackle on Mohau Nkota, stopping a promising Pirates counter-attack.

The one-man advantage Pirates had quickly paid off in the 45^thminute after a short corner found Mofokeng at the edge of the box, and this time he got his shot away, whipping his shot past an unsighted Chipezeze.

Despite being one-man shy, Magesi refused to back down, earning themselves a penalty on the stroke of half-time. Wonderboy Makhubu sent Sipho Chaine’s the wrong way, however, his penalty went wide, failing to find parity for his side.

Pirates made a double substitution in the second half – introducing Tito Maswanganyi and Boitumelo Radiopane for Makhaula who was booked in the first half, and Evidence Makgopa, looking to pile more pressure on the already vulnerable Magesi.

Magesi didn’t take Pirates’ pressure lying down, while they could not match their opponent’s attacking power. They were as deadly with their counterattacks. They almost evened the score through a long strike from the box, but Sipho Chaine’s reflexes came to Pirates’ rescue, only giving away a corner kick.

Despite Magesi’s effort to salvage a point and Pirates’ effort to pull clear, the game was decided by the only goal in the match.