Mbesuma brace sinks Tuks in Pretoria
A second half Andile Jali penalty and a brace by Zambian striker Collins Mbesuma secured visitors Orlando Pirates a 3-1 victory over the University of Pretoria in the Absa Premiership encounter at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday afternoon.
The defeat ended an impressive six-match unbeaten run for AmaTuks, who headed into the clash second in the league standings and looking to claim another big scalp.
The Buccaneers earned their fourth win of the season and jumped into second position with 13 points, four points off the pace of Soweto neighbours Kaizer Chiefs.
With the match still in its infancy, Bongani Zungu drew first blood for the hosts in the 12th minute.
A long ball over the top by Siyabonga Shoyisa cleared the Pirates defence and found Zungu, whose faint touch was enough to steer past an advancing Moeneeb Josephs in goal, with the ball trickling over the goal-line.
The goal allowed the University side to find their feet, but Pirates camped out in the Tuks half for much of the opening period and were rewarded in the 26th minute as Collins Mbesuma capitalised on a mistake by Shoyisa in defence.
The goal came about via the Pirates back four, who hit the home side on the counter, with Mbesuma guiding the ball past goalkeeper Washington Arubi for his first Premiership goal of the season.
With the sides level at one apiece at halftime, Tuks came out into the second period looking to regain the lead, but Roger De Sa's side kept up the pressure on the league newcomers.
Dane Klate, brought on early in the first half for injured Thulasizwe Mbuyane, proved to be a constant threat to the AmaTuks defence.
The first opportunity of the second period fell to the Pretoria side, as Aubrey Ngoma beat his man and delivered an accurate ball into the Pirates area with striker Mame Niang rising above the defence but hitting the upright with his headed effort.
Pirates hit back two minutes later and took the lead after a poor challenge in the AmaTuks area by Ramahlwe Mphahlele left the referee with little choice but to point to the spot on the hour mark.
Former Tuks midfielder Andile Jali made no mistake as he sent Arubi the wrong way and gave his side the lead for the first time.
The visitors pushed for a third with more fluency throughout the midfield and doubled their lead eight minutes later as Mbesuma scored his second, after a clinical through ball from Myeni found the Zambia international in the area.
Mbesuma coolly slotted past Arubi for the Buccaneers' eighth goal of the season.
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The University side found opportunities hard to come by, but came close four minutes from time as Mphahlele unleashed a shot from a tight angle at Josephs' goal, but the Bafana Bafana shot-stopper was up to the challenge and parried the effort, to seal the two goal margin for Pirates.
