Orlando Pirates’ hopes of clinching the league title took a significant hit on Tuesday evening, as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by 10-man Stellenbosch at Athlone Stadium. The Buccaneers struggled to break down a resolute Stellies defense, despite the hosts playing over an hour with just 10 men following Brian Onyango’s red card in the 35th minute.
With Mamelodi Sundowns securing another win against AmaZulu, Pirates now find themselves a daunting 18 points adrift of the league leaders, though they do have four games in hand. Both teams entered the match coming off contrasting performances in the Nedbank Cup; Stellenbosch controversially knocked out by Kaizer Chiefs, while Pirates triumphed over SuperSport United in a penalty shootout.
The first half was largely balanced, but the complexion of the game shifted dramatically just after the half-hour mark. Onyango’s reckless challenge on Tshegofatso Mabasa, who was through on goal, resulted in a straight red card. From the subsequent free-kick, Kabelo Dlamini came agonizingly close to putting Pirates ahead, but his strike rattled the crossbar, with Stellies’ goalkeeper Masuluke Oscarine well beaten.
Down to 10 men, Stellenbosch sat deeper and focused on containing the Pirates attack, with the visitors struggling to break through the defensive block. Pirates’ best chance came in the 76th minute when Relebohile Mofokeng tested Oscarine with a powerful shot, but the goalkeeper made a crucial save to keep the score level.
Stellenbosch nearly stole all three points late on, with a speculative long-range effort from Enyinnaya Godswill that had goalkeeper Sipho Chaine scrambling. However, Chaine recovered in time to make the save and preserve the draw.
In the end, Stellenbosch’s resilient defense earned them a hard-fought point, keeping them in third place on the log. For Pirates, it’s a disappointing result that further hampers their title bid, with their hopes now pinned on their remaining matches.
