Kamogele Sebelebele's screamer lifts Orlando Pirates to first league win of the season

ORLANDO PIRATES (0) 1 Sebelebele 15’

STELLENBOSCH (0) 0

Kamogelo Sebelebele was once again the hero for Orlando Pirates as his solitary strike secured their first win in the Betway Premiership on Wednesday night.

Pirates edged Stellenbosch FC 1-0 at Orlando Stadium, lifting themselves off the foot of the table after suffering consecutive defeats at the start of the season.

The Sea Robbers came into this clash desperate for a morale booster ahead of their MTN8 semi-final second-leg tie against Mamelodi Sundowns in Atteridgeville on Saturday.

Having scored in the 1-1 draw with Sundowns in the first leg last weekend, Sebelebele was back at it again, netting the winner in the 15th minute.

This win eases some of the pressure — at least temporarily — on coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, as sections of the Ghost were already calling for his head following the poor league start.

When Ouaddou took charge, he didn’t help his cause by quickly chopping and changing the team instead of building on the foundation laid by predecessor José Riveiro. But after a backlash from supporters, he appears to have adjusted his approach by reintegrating senior players into the side.

So far, so good — this was arguably his smoothest operation since the 2-0 MTN8 quarter-final win over Polokwane City earlier this month.

His side looked balanced across the pitch, with Oswin Appollis starting ahead of Patrick Maswanganyi — a tweak from the team that faced Sundowns, and one that proved effective.

The absence of Maswanganyi allowed Relebohile Mofokeng to operate in the No. 10 role, dictating play behind striker Evidence Makgopa.

The Bafana Bafana international, who has been in the headlines since the start of the season, looked lively from the outset, threading incisive passes. He nearly combined with Appollis for a breakthrough after a slick exchange on the edge of the box, but the latter’s final effort rattled the upright.

Pirates pressed on in search of their first home league goal of the season and were duly rewarded in style. Sebelebele pounced on a loose ball just outside the box and rifled a thunderous strike past Sage Stephens into the bottom corner.

But in the midst of the euphoria, Pirates suffered a setback as Deano van Rooyen went down injured, forcing an early substitution. Sipho Mbule was introduced and brought stability and discipline in midfield, with Appollis and Mofokeng drifting wide to pin back Stellies’ full-backs.

Heading into half-time with the lead must have brought some comfort to Ouaddou, who was again clad in his signature puffer jacket and baggy trousers — despite the mild Johannesburg weather.

However, the Moroccan coach endured a tense second half. If it wasn’t missed chances from his players, it was disagreements with his own bench over substitutions.

Lebone Seema unleashed a defence-splitting long ball that found Deon Hotto in space, but the Namibian skewed his effort wide instead of hitting the target.

Moments later, Ouaddou’s staff substituted Mbatha and Makgopa for Kabelo Dlamini and Tshegofatso Mabasa — the latter making his first appearance of the season — much to the coach’s apparent displeasure.

On his way off, Ouaddou firmly held Mbatha, seemingly questioning the decision to take him off without his consent. The touchline tension between the coach and his bench persisted, even as Stellies pushed forward in search of an equaliser, with Ouaddou animatedly throwing his arms in the air.

Nonetheless, Pirates held firm to claim their first league win of the campaign. They now head into the MTN8 semi-final clash against Sundowns with a much-needed morale boost.

* Elsewhere on Wednesday, AmaZulu beat Marumo Gallants 1-0 at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban.

Gallants dominated ball possession throughout the match, but but were undone by AmaZulu defender Keegan Allen free-kick in first-half stoppage time.