Inspired substitutions lead Orlando Pirates to a 1-0 win over Siwelele FC

IN a football match, when substitutions work out they are invariably described as inspired and super. The coaches are termed as geniuses. All those descriptions, and the many others that are so commonly used they’d pass for clichés, were apt for Orlando Pirates’ hard-fought 1-0 victory at Siwelele FC on Tuesday night.

For a long while it appeared as though the best the Buccaneers would get from their trip to Bloemfontein would be a single point as their efforts fizzled out into nothing. They had just two shots at goal in the first half and as dominant as they were after the break, they just did not trouble Ricardo Goss enough to make him pull off notable saves.

But then coach Abdeslam Ouaddou rang a raft of changes and it took a combination of two of those to see Siwelele’s stubborn resistance finally crumbling.

Oswin Appollis – introduced to the fray at the start of the second half for Tito Maswanganyi - scored the solitary goal having received a somewhat fortuitous pass from another substitute Evidence Makgopa.

It was a superb strike, hit with the laces from the edge of the box in at the far corner where goalkeeper Ricardo Goss had no chance of reaching it. The build-up to it was equally pleasing to the eye, Relebohile Mofokeng making a short run in the centre and then passing it crisply to Makgopa on the edge of the box in the midst of the home defence.

The lanky striker appeared to have failed to control the ball but it fell for Appollis who turned on the first touch and then smashed it home with his other foot to send the Pirates bench wild in celebrations, Ouaddou also joining in as the substitutes ran towards the pitch.

The Moroccan coach had every reason to be as delighted, his inspired changes having delivered the victory that was fast beginning to look unlikely. And he voiced it afterwards.

“I am a lucky coach because all the guys who come into the pitch have the ambition to change the game and I hope they will continue like that.”

Appollis was particularly keen to make his presence count as he harried and hassled the Siwelele defence, running at them non-stop upon taking the field. He came close to scoring from a free kick three minutes before he finally got it right.

He lined up for the set piece alongside Mofokeng but the youngster allowed his senior to take it and Appolis deftly got it over the wall and had it dipping but not enough to go under the bar but just slightly over with Goss in no man’s land.

It was a warning Siwelele should have heeded but they didn’t and duly got punished shortly thereafter.

Mofokeng had himself come close to scoring on 54 minutes but his grass-cutting shot went inches wide of the goal. Prior to that, Kamogelo Sebelebele had shot wide and over as Pirates dominated play but just could not find the breakthrough  

Siwelele nearly equalized on 84 minutes but Sipho Chaine was well-positioned to save a Christain Saile following a long throw-in.

But it was the buccaneers who were celebrating the three points as their good form continued and Siwlele’s woes intensified.