Pirates earn a point in Libya in Caf Confederation Cup
Orlando Pirates will be coming back home with a very important point from Libya after playing to a goalless stalemate with Al Ahli Benghazi at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium on Sunday.
Orlando Pirates players celebrate beating Al Ahli Benghazi in a Caf Confederations Cup match. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix.
However, with the point earned, Bucs go second Group A with five points after three games, trailing leaders Enyimba of Nigeria by one point. Whereas Benghazi occupies third place with four points, while ES Setif of Algeria are last on the log with only one point.
The Buccaneers might have lost their place at the top of the table especially having dominated the game, but coach Josef Zinnbauer should be happy with a point away from home.
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Pirates had a very promising start into the match, playing as if they were on their own turf. The Soweto giants put a lot of pressure on Benghazi, but things didn’t add up for them in the final third, while they were also winning a number of free-kicks.
A Vincent Pule well-struck set-piece was on target in the 20th minute, unfortunately, Benghazi’s shot-stopper Abdusward Aboubaker was well on guard to make a save on the first pole to deny the Bucs winger.
The Buccaneers gave the home side a nervy moment again two minutes later as Pirates players exchanged passes inside the box, but they couldn’t get a shot at goal with Benghazi managing to clear the ball.
The Libya-based side started to find their rhythm in the late stages of the first half. They won a free-kick just outside the box in the 39th minute, but striker Ibrahim Badbous took his shot wide.
Despite the Buccaneers being the better of the two sides in the first half with a number of entries inside Benghazi’s halve, they couldn’t take advantage as the game went into the break goalless.
Pirates continued with their pressure intense pressure and they were almost rewarded for their efforts in the 52nd minutes, but Ben Motshwari’s long-range shot hit the upright.
With no goals coming from either side, Bucs coach introduced striker Tshegofatso Mabasa for Terrence Dzvukamanja in their search for their first goal of the game.
The looked to be hungry for a goal as he immediately got two half chances, one with a header and the other with a volley, but he couldn’t get the ball into the back of the net.
In the 74th minute, a goalmouth scramble in the Pirates box saw the club surviving what could have been a huge blow for them, but thanks to Keeper Wayne Sandilands, the score remained 0-0.
But, Gabadinho Mhango had a glorious opportunity to give Bucs maximum in injury time, but he was denied by the poles, leaving the game to finish with spoils shared.
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