There are some players so good, so skilled, so talented that they need just one moment to influence the outcome of a match. Even on nights when they seem off form, their presence alone is enough to give hope that something positive can happen.
Relebohile Mofokeng is one such player. And last night he proved as much with a single moment of magic that helped Orlando Pirates win a match that had begun to look destined for a draw.
The plaudits, of course, went to scorer Evidence Makgopa for the opening goal in the 2-0 Betway Premiership victory over Chippa United that moved the Buccaneers level on 25 points with Mamelodi Sundowns, albeit second due to an inferior goal difference. Pirates do, however, have a game in hand.
The statisticians would also have dutifully chalked up Deon Hotto’s assist.
But the purists would have seen that Pirates owed their breakthrough to Mofokeng’s superb eye for space and his penchant for the perfectly weighted, defence-splitting pass.
On a night when he had looked a little off colour — sending a free kick way over from a good position before heading high when free inside the box — Mofokeng needed just one moment to remind everyone of his class.
An innocuous-looking attack saw him receive the ball just inside the Chilli Boys’ half. With the visitors having defended stoutly, there appeared to be little danger.
But then Mofokeng produced a pass that would have been appreciated by some of the game’s finest playmakers — a ball that dissected the Chippa rearguard and found the on-running Hotto on the left side of the box. The Namibian did brilliantly to fire a hard cross past the advancing Dumisani Msibi, and substitute Makgopa tapped home.
Another substitute, Oswin Appollis, made it 2-0 in the 90th minute with a deflected shot inside the box, as Pirates tightened the screws on defending champions and league leaders Sundowns — whom they can overtake this weekend should they avoid defeat at Durban City.
With that one superb pass, Mofokeng confirmed that class is permanent, and he surely sent a timely reminder to Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos that he remains a player worthy of inclusion in the final squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, despite his recent dip in form and lack of regular minutes.
