Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah scored his first professional goal in Orlando Pirates’ 6-0 thumping of Crystal Lake in the Nedbank Cup on Saturday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Ndah, 26, who has been a mainstay in the Buccaneers team this season, opened the scoring in the round of 32 clash played at Mbombela Stadium before Tapelo Xoki (2), Relebohile Mofokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi, and Tshegofatso Mabasa added the other goals in a comfortable win for the defending champions.
Pirates started the game brightly when Olisa Ndah broke the deadlock with a header just four minutes into the match. Tapelo Xoki, Ndah’s defensive partner, then doubled the lead from the penalty spot four minutes later, following a foul on striker Evidence Makgopa in the box.
Just after 11 minutes, Relebohile Mofokeng then made it 3-0 in favour of Jose Riveiro’s side. Despite Crystal Lake’s efforts to find a way back into the game, Pirates continued to maintain their dominance in the game, and Maswanganyi extended their lead to 4-0 just before halftime.
Normal service resumed in the second half for Pirates with Xoki scoring his second goal of the match and the team’s fifth with a header in the 51st minute. While, Mabasa – on his return to the side – added a sixth in the 78th minute to seal the Buccaneers’ progression to the Round of 16.
The goal scored by the former Akwa United defender is his first in any top-flight match and his first goal in the colours of the South African side since his move in 2021. Ndah has made a total of 16 appearances in all competitions for the Bucs this term.
After the conclusion of the other games of the round, the Sea Robbers will await the announcement of their next opponents in the next stage of the competition. In the meantime, Olisa Ndah and Pirates will turn their attention to the upcoming league clash against Polokwane City on Saturday, March 2.
