BA on top of Pirates

THOUSANDS of Orlando Pirates supporters swallowed a bitter pill after a lone goal by Black Africa striker Jerome Louis saw them losing 1-0 in an electrifying derby which unfolded at the Independence Stadium on Saturday night.

Both teams had their thousands of fans firmly behind them on a cool evening, but it was all up to the players to bring the victory, which Louis did in an opportunistic way as he put away a spilled ball from Pirates goalie Harry January in the 26th minute. That was all BA needed as they extended their wins to two in the past three seasons against their biggest rivals in the domestic league.They share two draws, while Pirates have won once, with BA now making it twice in a row after their 5-0 hammering of Pirates in the second leg of the previous season at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.In a surprising move, former Brave Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronnie Kanalelo stood between the sticks and his presence spoke volumes.The temperamental Kanalelo commanded his young side from the goalposts with efficiency and he made several fantastic saves which kept his team hanging on to their lead until the final whistle.It was a night of opportunities for Pirates, but this worked against them, despite their free-flowing passes and the plenty of chances even with no one to beat in goal.Strikers Wilfred Coetzee and Ettiene Beukes, midfielders Klaas Blom and Patrick Jagger are the four Pirates players who could have made the difference if they had their scoring boots on, but they instead chose otherwise.In each half, Pirates could have at least scored two goals, but the men employed to put away goals, decided to put it either above the crossbar, next to it or simply way off-target.Two chances for Pirates went astray when Kanalelo was beaten to the ball as he charged from his goal, with no one at home.Blom and Jagger were the masterminds in midfield for the Buccaneers but their efforts were well sniffed out by the BA defence, which had Nelson Geingob and Sedekia Haukambe working over-time in the left and right back positions respectively.Jagger caused a lot of confusion among the BA backs with his exceptional dribbling skills, but this did not help much in getting any goals.BA were impressive in their attacking moves though, with especially Gella Kandjimi putting in a splendid performance in midfield despite his height, while Berries Rooi was also busy upfront as usual.Kandjimi showed great qualities of controlling the ball and his passes were spot-on, while he also showed a good vision of the game as a midfielder.The first half brought the best out of the individual players from both teams, but the excitement and tempo of the match subsided drastically in the second half, leaving little for the fans to cheer about.BA midfielder Lolo Goraseb came on in the second half, replacing Llewelyn Otto, but did not adapt to the game as quick before the final whistle.There were no red cards in the match, with the players showing a good sense of discipline in their play.The match attracted at least 5 000 people in total.That was all BA needed as they extended their wins to two in the past three seasons against their biggest rivals in the domestic league.They share two draws, while Pirates have won once, with BA now making it twice in a row after their 5-0 hammering of Pirates in the second leg of the previous season at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.In a surprising move, former Brave Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronnie Kanalelo stood between the sticks and his presence spoke volumes.The temperamental Kanalelo commanded his young side from the goalposts with efficiency and he made several fantastic saves which kept his team hanging on to their lead until the final whistle.It was a night of opportunities for Pirates, but this worked against them, despite their free-flowing passes and the plenty of chances even with no one to beat in goal.Strikers Wilfred Coetzee and Ettiene Beukes, midfielders Klaas Blom and Patrick Jagger are the four Pirates players who could have made the difference if they had their scoring boots on, but they instead chose otherwise.In each half, Pirates could have at least scored two goals, but the men employed to put away goals, decided to put it either above the crossbar, next to it or simply way off-target.Two chances for Pirates went astray when Kanalelo was beaten to the ball as he charged from his goal, with no one at home.Blom and Jagger were the masterminds in midfield for the Buccaneers but their efforts were well sniffed out by the BA defence, which had Nelson Geingob and Sedekia Haukambe working over-time in the left and right back positions respectively.Jagger caused a lot of confusion among the BA backs with his exceptional dribbling skills, but this did not help much in getting any goals.BA were impressive in their attacking moves though, with especially Gella Kandjimi putting in a splendid performance in midfield despite his height, while Berries Rooi was also busy upfront as usual.Kandjimi showed great qualities of controlling the ball and his passes were spot-on, while he also showed a good vision of the game as a midfielder.The first half brought the best out of the individual players from both teams, but the excitement and tempo of the match subsided drastically in the second half, leaving little for the fans to cheer about.BA midfielder Lolo Goraseb came on in the second half, replacing Llewelyn Otto, but did not adapt to the game as quick before the final whistle.There were no red cards in the match, with the players showing a good sense of discipline in their play.The match attracted at least 5 000 people in total.