Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa achieved a significant personal milestone when he found the back of the net late in Tuesday’s night 2-0 win over TS Galaxy at Orlando Stadium.
The 28-year-old entered the fray in the second half and secured three points for the Buccaneers deep in injury time with a header from close range. In doing so, he brought up his 50th goal in all competitions while donning the famous black and white of the Soweto Giants.
This placed him second behind former club captain Benedict “Tso” Vilakazi, who leads an illustrious list of Bucs goal scorers in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era.
Speaking to Orlandopiratesfc.com after the match, the man affectionately known as the “Sniper” described the magical feeling that comes with reaching the landmark.
“It’s a surreal feeling honestly,” Mabasa said. “It’s what dreams are made of – the support that one has got from teammates, technical team and management has really made it easy for me to accomplish what I have so far with the club.”
Having debuted for Pirates a little over six years ago, Mabasa has been a consistent feature on the scoresheet. He won the league’s Golden Boot after netting an impressive 16 goals in the 2023/24 campaign, and has made a habit of finding the net in cup finals.
Those title-winning moments rank high among his favourites in Bucs colours.
“I think the goals that I’ve scored in finals,” he said when quizzed on his standout moments. “And maybe the one away to Al Ahly in Cairo, because they were goals of significance and helped the team to win, but the important ones were the ones in finals to achieve history with the club.”
With one milestone achieved, Mabasa is well on track to another significant mark. He is now just eight goals behind Vilakazi and could add to his tally when Pirates take to Orlando Stadium once more in Saturday’s Carling Knockout encounter against Siwelele.
SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.
