A sold-out Loftus Versfeld Stadium witnessed a thrilling Betway Premiership clash on Saturday afternoon as Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates played out a 1–1 draw.
Sundowns, led by Miguel Cardoso, opened the scoring through Peter Shalulile, who capitalised on a mix up in the Pirates box. Pirates responded before halftime when Cemran Dansin scored a scorcher from a rebound after Ronwen Williams had punched away a corner, leveling the score.
Despite several second-half chances for both sides, neither could find a winner. Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso defended his approach after the match:
“Despite people saying your coach is defensive, that’s bullsh*t.
I knew that if in any moment we had to fight for a result, I would not probably have the weapons to reinforce the front.
We didn’t have a lot of power in terms of attack.
I think the result is quite fair.
You cannot cook spaghetti bolognese without meat.”
Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou expressed his satisfaction with his side’s effort and rotation strategy:
“We created the most chances.. I was so happy with the second half and, to be honest, I think it’s a game that we should have won. It should be a victory for Orlando Pirates…
Let’s go fight for the next games we have in hand and take the lead in this log.
I have faith in all my players. I try to rotate because we are playing a lot of competitions.
You can win a game with 11 players, but if you want titles, you need to trust your whole group and that’s what we’re doing at Orlando Pirates.”
The draw leaves Sundowns top of the table, while Pirates remain fourth, three points behind the leaders but with two games in hand. Sundowns now host TS Galaxy at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday, while Pirates travel to Durban to face Lamontville Golden Arrows, with both teams looking to strengthen their title ambitions.