Buccaneers aim for the trophy
Pirates fought until the last moment against al-Ahly, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Orlando Pirates turned the tables in the dying seconds of the game to stop al-Ahly from winning the CAF Champions League match at Orlando Stadium last Saturday. The Buccaneers held al-Ahly to a 1-1 draw.
Thabo Matlaba found an equaliser in the 4th minute of injury time to stop Ahly from the excitement of winning the match.
The match saw Pirates displaying great skill and a hunger and dedication to win the match from the first whistle.
They had greater ball possession and played offensive football, while Ahly proved to have a strong defence and was dangerous on set pieces.
A tight Ahly defence saw Pirates’ strikers shoot from outside the 18-area box, as they battled to make their way into the box.
A number of their attempts to find the back of the net were wasted, as they were missed due to both severe pressure to break the strong Ahly defence and find an equaliser.
Mohamed Aboutrika showed his class as Ahly made the most of a costly error from the Pirates back four, punishing the home side with an unstoppable set piece early in the opening half.
Pirates will play the second leg of the competition in Cario on Saturday.
They need a score of 2-2 or higher to bring the trophy back to the Bucs’ cabinet in Parktown. Pirates beat Ahly 3-0 away in the group stages.
