Wasteful Orlando Pirates score sixth straight league win

JOHANNESBURG - Orlando Pirates stretched a South African Premiership winning streak to six matches without conceding on Wednesday when they beat Polokwane City more convincingly than the 1-0 scoreline suggests.

Just six minutes had been played on an unseasonably chilly night in Soweto when Tshepang Moremi scored the lone goal, firing into the net after Kenyan goalkeeper Brian Bwire parried a cross.

Pirates proceeded to dominate possession and territory, but poor finishing and several excellent saves from Bwire prevented further goals.

The inability to convert chances will concern Pirates' Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou ahead of a CAF Champions League qualifier against Saint-Eloi Lupopo from the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday.

Pirates, semi-finalists last season in the premier African club competition, suffered a surprisingly heavy 3-0 first-leg loss last weekend.

"We wasted many chances to kill the game. We need a packed stadium on Saturday and more clinical finishing," said Ouaddou, a former Premier League defender with Fulham.

Victory over Polokwane lifted Pirates to 18 points, three behind leaders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns with two matches in hand.

After scoring only three goals in nine league matches, Stellenbosch struck four to edge Golden Arrows 4-3 in a Cape Town thriller. New Zealand international Andre de Jong netted twice for the winners.