Sundowns humiliate hapless Pirates 6-0

Orlando Pirates’ 2016-17 Premier League season was buried with a 6-0 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns there on Saturday, amidst disgraceful scenes of chaos.

The true loser was South African football, as the match had to be delayed for almost an hour due to a pitch invasion and fan violence.

As Percy Tau swept in a devastating sixth goal for a superb Mamelodi Sundowns – just after television lost its feed for an unknown reason – against a diabolical Pirates, its was all too much for Bucs’ fans.

What seemed perhaps 100 to 200 Bucs fans stormed the pitch. Players and benches sprinted for the safety of the change-rooms. The PSL’s security officials were overwhelmed.

Downs fans streamed onto the pitch, ugly fights broke out and SA Police armoured vehicle drove onto the pitch. Stun grenades were fired.

At least one injured fan was treated by paramedics on the field.

The disgraceful scenes detracted from Sundowns marching to a record defeat for Bucs. Probably what sparked such outrage from Pirates’ fans was that the previous record of 6-1 was equalled as recently as November against SuperSport United.

Goals from Themba Zwane (21 minute), Percy Tau (42), Ricardo Nascimento (62, penalty), Thapelo Morena 69 and 75, then Tau again in the 82, sparking the near-riot, blasted Bucs off the field.

Both Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane and his Pirates counterpart Augusto Palacios rang five changes, but for vastly different reasons.

Mosimane fielded fringe players as Downs returned from the six-week PSL break on Wednesday with a 1-0 away win against Bloemfontein Celtic, and he was bringing back his big guns against a supposedly dangerous Bucs.

Palacios made his changes – including debuts at left-back for Marc van Heerden and centreback for James Okwuosa – out of frustration at a toothless return to action in a 0-0 away draw against Platinum Stars.

That result continued to ask questions of Bucs’ continued directionless season, and left them needing a win against Downs to restore feint title hopes.

Mosimane’s winning machine were having none of that.

Sundowns had an early scare when a fine Tendai Ndoro pass split Downs’ centrebacks to put Gift Motupa through, who rounded Onyango but unforgivably steered a finish aimed at an open goal onto the left upright.

From there, Downs just clicked into gear and owned everything in the first half - the Loftus pitch, the attacking impetus, Pirates' defence, and just generally Pirates.

Downs’ substitutes warming up behind their goal looked like a seven-a-side Galacticos. On the field the classiest frontline seen in the PSL since the 1990s formed at a tempo that bewildered Bucs.

Khama Billiat was allowed space on the right and what looked like an attempted shot probably was actually a chipped pass to Zwane at the far post – that’s just how good Downs are.

The winger – perhaps Downs’ solution to the loss to France of Keagan Dolly on Saturday afternoon’s evidence – got stuck over the ball but had time to recover and stab past stranded goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane.

With Bucs repelling waves of attacks with desperate challenges, the ball fell to Zwane who picked out Tau free on the left to sweep in an all too easy second.

The scoreline should have been more. Actually, quite a lot more.

Just over 15 minutes back from the break, Okwuosa clattered down Tau in the area in a manner that left referee Daniel Bennett, who turned down two convincing earlier appeals, no doubt. Nascimento slotted calmly from the spot.

In almost no time Tiyani Mabunda carved a path through the middle, rounded Mabokgwane, and clattered onto the upright.

The midfielder made up for it moments later, strolling through the right then unselfishly feeding Morena to score.

Tau pushed his stroller through a non-existent left side and cheekily laid off to his right even with Van Heerden in attendance, and Morena got a second.

Tau and Billiat combined for Downs’ sixth. Chaos erupted. Once play resumed back, both sides played out the last eight minutes without incident.

  - TMG Digital