Orlando Pirates were not supposed to be awarded a penalty during their DStv Premiership encounter with Royal AM, according to former referee Victor Hlungwani.
The Soweto giants continued their relentless form with a 4-0 hammering of Thwihli Thwahla at Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday.
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Patrick Maswanganyi opened the floodgates with Pirates' first goal from the spot kick, before Kabelo Dlamini, Relebohile Mofokeng and Thalente Mbatha added their names to the scoresheet.
However, reviewing the match on SABC Sport’s SoccerZone, Hlungwani explained why the penalty should not have been awarded to Pirates.
"Pirates got a penalty and I don’t know if it was a manna from heaven or what, but here we can establish on SoccerZone that the infringement happened outside the penalty area," Hlungwani said.
"Here is Maswanganyi, he was tripped. Yes, he was tripped. A free-kick was supposed to be given. The referee points to the penalty spot.
"Let’s see whether indeed it happened inside or outside [the box]. Can you see the tripping? There are almost 12 centimetres, which shows it happened outside.
"So, a penalty was not supposed to be given here. It was supposed to be a free-kick only because the infringement happened outside.
"They went to consult, only to come back with an incorrect decision."
?? C??RR??C?? || ??NC??RR??C?? ?? Victor "The Principal" Hlungwani elaborates...?? LIVE ?? SABC Sport ?? SABC+ ?? https://t.co/hibb8lgo8P #SABCSportFootball #Soccerzone pic.twitter.com/Jq8qPzgzSF
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) April 29, 2024
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Pirates were also the beneficiary of an incorrect decision by match officials when AmaZulu FC's Abbubaker Mobara was wrongly sent off after being adjudged to have fouled Maswanganyi in a DStv Premiership clash at Orlando Stadium in mid-April, according to Hlungwani.
The win keeps Bucs' chances of a second-spot finish alive heading into the tail end of the season.
The side will face their next test against Cape Town City on Wednesday evening at Cape Town Stadium.
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