Gaba not panicking

Orlando Pirates’ Malawian hitman Frank ‘Gabadinho’ Mhango says despite not getting on the scoresheet in Tuesday’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) match against Mamelodi Sundowns, he was satisfied with his performance.

Pirates held Sundowns to a goalless draw in Johannesburg, South Africa to move to third position in the 16-team league with 41 points from 21 matches.

Mhango, who leads the scorers’ chart with 14 goals, has now not scored in four consecutive matches.

But in an interview from his Johannesburg base yesterday, the 27-year-old marksman said: “It felt good returning to action and personally, I was happy with my performance.

“It could have been great to score, but I am not panicking.

“I know there are others that are not far off, but the crucial thing is to remain focused.

“I will keep on working hard and I am optimistic goals will come. There are times when you go through such a patch in football,” he said.

Although he was tightly marked, the Flames prolific forward showed flashes of his individual brilliance and on a few occasions set up his team-mates who could not do the rest to perfection.

Sundowns, who are second with 45 points from 22 matches, trailed leaders Kaizer Chiefs by three points before Amakhosi took on Bidvest Wits last night at press time.

Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer said he had mixed feelings about the result.

The German tactician told SuperSport TV with a little bit of luck, his side could have secured three points at the Dobsonville Stadium.

“First time, you could see it’s [been] a long time since we last played, but we came more and more in the game. In the first-half, a 0-0 was okay. The second-half was much better, we had chances to win the game, but Sundowns always had a chance,” he said.

“It was a very difficult game for us, top players against us. Towards the end, we hit the post, with a little luck you win the game.”