Umqeqeshi we’Orlando Pirates, uJose Riveiro, uthathe ithuba lakhe wacacisa indlela abaluleke ngayo uTshegofatso Mabasa oxakileyo kwiDStv Premiership. Emdlalweni ogqithileyo, uMabasa uncede iPirates ngegowuli alifake kwisigaba sesibini nebethe ngalo AmaZulu abekhangela indlela yokubuyisa isixhiba emva kokubethwa ngamagowuli amane kwamabini emdlalweni weNedbank Cup obubanjelwe eMoses Mabhida Stadium kutshanje. UMabasa, 27, ufake amagowuli alishumi elinanye kwiDStv Premiership.
Ngoku ulingana ncamashi noLucas Ribeiro oneshumi elinanye lamagowuli kwisizini yakhe yokuqala eMzantsi Afrika. UMabasa, obuyele kwiPirates emva kwe’Africa Cup of Nations, uyiqale kakuhle isizini kwiMoroka Swallows – apho afake khona amagowuli aliqela ephantsi kwesandla sikaSteve Komphela. Njengokuba iSwallows iye yaxikixwa ziingxaki zemali ezibangele ukuhamba kwenani elibonakalayo labadlali, uMabasa ubuyiswe yiPirates kuba ibimbona ukuba uqhuba kakuhle kwicala lokufaka amagowuli.
Umqeqeshi ucula elinye iculo ngoku ngoMabasa okhe wamyeka waya kwamanye amaqela phambi kokumnika ithuba lokudlala. Emidlalweni emithathu egqithileyo, ifolosi yeBucs, ibhakuzelise umnatha amatyeli angaphezulu kwesihlanu. Lo nto imenze uMabasa abe ngoyena mdlali obalulekileyo kwiPirates ezama ukulwela indawo yesibini egxeleshwe ngamaqela aquka iStellenbosch FC enqoloba amaqela, iSuperSport United neSekhukhune United ebethiweyo ngoLwesibini ebusuku yiMamelodi Sundowns eheli phezulu kwiDStv Premiership.
“Kumnandi kum xa umdlali efaka amagowuli. Kodwa okuhle kakhulu ngoMabasa kukuba akafaki amagowuli kuphela, uncedisa nabadlali xa bezama ukudala amathuba ebaleni. Into asinceda ngayo kukuba unamandla futhi uyawasokolisa amaqela esidlala nawo xa sihlasela – into ethi uncede kakhulu oogxa bakhe ukuze bakwazi ukudlala nabo,” utshilo uRiveiro kutshanje. “Nokuba ibhola ayikho kuthi, uMabasa uyakwazi ukuncedisa. Kodwa wonke umntu eqeleni usebenzela ukuba masiphumelele emidlalweni,” utshilo umqeqeshi.
IPirates iya phambili kwiNedbank Cup emva kokunyathela iChippa United ekhaya