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Dropped Bafana Bafana star sends message to Mosimane with goal in Pirates win

Orlando Pirates have closed the gap on Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the table
Orlando Pirates have closed the gap on Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the tableOrlando Pirates

On the day he was dropped from the Bafana Bafana squad, Tshepang Moremi gave a reminder of his quality with a fine goal as Orlando Pirates defeated Durban City 2-0 in the Betway Premiership on Thursday.

The victory moves the Buccaneers to within four points of leaders Mamelodi Sundowns with two games in hand, and they were made to sweat until deep into the second half by a stubborn visiting side.

It took 58 minutes for them to edge ahead as Lebone Seema, who is in the Bafana squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea later this month, headed into the back of the net from Kabelo Kgosietsile’s delivery.

It is the defender’s second goal of the season after he also netted in the 3-0 win over Chippa United in August, and his fourth for Pirates in all competitions.

Match statistics
Match statisticsFlashscore

That lead was doubled on 69 minutes with a well-worked goal as Simphiwe Masilela teed up Moremi to curl the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box.

There will be disappointment for Moremi as he missed out on national team recognition at the start of Mosimane’s new era, with the likes of Chicago Fire’s Puso Dithejane and Sundowns’ Tashreeq Morris given a run instead.

The only way he can respond is with goals and he has done that.

It was also a special moment for the 22-year-old Masilela, who provided the first assist of his professional career.

Match momentum
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The win extends Pirates’ unbeaten run in all competitions to 25 games (W18 D7).

That is their longest stretch since they went a PSL-era club-record 27 games without defeat (W14 D13) during the 2018/19 season, which was finally ended by a 2-0 loss to Espérance in the CAF Champions League.

Pirates are next in action on Sunday away at Marumo Gallants.

Nick Said has been covering African sport for almost three decades, specialising in football, rugby and cricket. He is based in Cape Town, South Africa and you can follow him on X and LinkedIn.