Midfielder, Lucas Ribeiro Costa. Photo: Supplied

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Young and talented Orlando Pirates star striker Relebohile Mofokeng was the toast of the
Mighty Buccaneers’ 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns. Famously known as the ‘King of Ama 2000s’, Mofokeng spooked the free-scoring Sundowns’ ‘Yellow Machine’ as he netted twice in just a space of five minutes of the start of the game to give his Buccaneer side an early 2-0 lead going into the half time break. The two early goals immediately spooked a stunned Sundowns that huffed and puffed for an entire 80 minutes of the much-talked about encounter in search of an opening goal which came late in the 80-something minutes through the nimble-footed Khuliso Mudau. Sundowns’ players, who seemed to have forgotten their striking boots at home, upped their game mainly in the second stanza after a supposedly harsh and no-holds-barred halftime pep talk by an upset coach Miquel Cardoso. Downs’ Brazilian international midfield kingpin cum-striker and leading goal scorer of the premiership Lucas Ribeiro, with a tally of 13 goals so far, tried several times to score, but his strikes and header went way off the mark to even bother a solid Sipho Chaine in between the sticks for the Mighty Buccaneers. His tricky striking teammate Igraam Rayners, second in command in the tally of goals in the premiership with nine so far, tried pulling his usual tricks out of the hat but it was never to be in the company of the alert Bucs defenders who thwarted every moment’s try. Another Downs goal poaching nuisance who strikes fear in defenders each time he has the ball on his feet, is Namibian international Peter Shalulile, but this time around he seemed to have been tasked with fetching the ball from deep as opposed to waiting for the supply to pounce on goals.
The Buccaneers’ Spanish coach Jose Riveiro must have done his homework thoroughly from the previous 4-1 drubbing from Sundowns and came up with a game plan to stun
Masandawana with early goals and make them panic and not play their normal passing game coupled with their well calculated build-ups from the back.

“I told your guys [media] at the pre-match press conference that we’re going to play our
game and that anything can happen and today, anything happened,” said Riveiro at the pitch side comments after the game. Cardoso said his players had been jinxed as they were denied the use of an opposition change room but instead were offered that of the home team and this caused slight delays in the starting of the game as his players had to also use a different entry into the pitch. But despite a massive 70% ball possession for Masandawana, the Mighty Bucs triumphed with both its slender 30% possession and 2-1 score line to take all the three points at stake.