- Chippa held Pirates 1-1 on Tuesday
- Pirates loanee Mosele scored against his parent club
- Mammila outlines how they engineered the draw
WHAT HAPPENED? The Chilli Boys came from behind to hold Pirates 1-1 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. After their Soweto visitors dominated the first half, Chippa came back an improved side in the second period and Pirates loanee Goodman Mosele was their hero.
Mosele scored the hosts’ equalising goal in a match where the Chilli Boys were also successful in silencing the Sea Robbers’ dangerman Zakhele Lepasa.
WHAT WAS SAID: “To be honest, I showed them [his players], especially Mosele, the Baroka vs Pirates when we beat Pirates through penalties in the [2018] Telkom Cup,'' Mammila said as reported by Sowetan Live.
“I showed him how cool he was. Then I took him to Pirates, I said 'you've done well at Pirates, you even got a national team call-up...it doesn't mean that because you ended up not getting more game time you're not good enough'.
“I said 'don't show Pirates but show the country that you are a better player' and he agreed. He said 'Morgan thanks for being there for me, you are my father. I am going to thank you, I am going to reward you with a good game' and that's what he gave.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chippa's resistance against Pirates has again painted them as a stubborn, defensive side this season. They also restricted Kaizer Chiefs to a 0-0 draw on the opening day, and drew by the same scoreline with TS Galaxy.
For Pirates, failing to win against Chippa marked them as an inconsistent side in the PSL campaign so far. Jose Riveiro's side has recorded a loss, a win and a draw in their league matches, leaving some fans saying they have returned to default settings.
Even last weekend's 5-0 thumping of Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 quarter-finals could not inspire them in the trip to Gqeberha.
WHAT NEXT FOR MAMMILA? The Chilli Boys coach is preparing his side to host PSL defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
After the Masandawana match, Chippa will have completed playing the traditional three giants in their first four games and will surely be looking forward to a kinder run of fixtures.