Pirates’ dreams for CAF vanish
The Orlando Pirates' chance to conquer Africa ended in Egypt after they lost 2-0 against Al Ahly in the final of the CAF Champions League.
Orlando Pirates’ dreams to win the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League trophy were squashed in the final of the tournament after the Egyptian giants, Al Ahly, won 2-0 in the final leg of the tournament on Sunday afternoon.
In the match that took place at the Arab Contractors Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, many football fans from the war-torn nation attended in huge numbers.
Pirates’ hopes to add the second star to their black and white jersey were invigorated last week when they managed to escape with a 1-1 draw against the Red Devils at Orlando Stadium.
Al Ahly, the defending champions, won the trophy for a record-extending eighth time thanks to second-half strikes from Egyptian legend Mohamed Aboutreika and Ahmed Abdel-Zaher at the Arab Contractors Stadium.
The teams traded blows in style, especially in the midfield during the opening minutes of the game.
Despite threatening attacks from both teams, the Egyptians were a better team during the night after hitting the back of the net twice.
Ahly won the encounter after a 3-1 aggregate score line which ended the Happy People’s dreams of capturing the second star.
It was a remarkable triumph for the Red Devils given the lengthy suspension of their domestic football due to ongoing political unrest in the nation.
Bucs last won the continental championship back in 1995 after an impressive run at the tournament.
It is now back to the domestic league for the Roger de Sa-coached club after having played very few games so far in the league.
In their next encounter, the Sea Robbers will trade blows against SuperSport United in the Telkom Knockout competition.
It now remains to be seen if Pirates will console themselves after failing to conquer Africa by winning the Telkom cup.
noweto@rekord.co.za
