Orlando Pirates were held to a goalless draw by Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-finals at Orlando stadium on Saturday afternoon. The sem-final will be decided in the second leg at the Peter Mokaba stadium in two weeks’ time.
The highly anticipated clash did not produce the expected fireworks, with the two sides too cautious and the midfield congested. The fans packed the stadium to the rafters and created an electrifying atmosphere, but the players, sadly, did not come to the party, perhaps with the comfort that there’s still a second leg to come.
The 0-0 result favours Pirates in the sense that should they get a scoring draw in the return leg, Sundowns will be out of the competition. But on the flip side of the coin, Sundowns are capable of hammering Bucs with an avalanche of goals.
Sundowns missed the services of their newly acquired left-back Terrence Mashego, who is allegedly out with a long-term injury. In his absence, Rushine de Reuck was stationed on the left side of the defence. They started with a rather unorthodox 3-4-3 formation that seemed to trouble the Pirates players.
Pirates arrived in the semi-finals after defeating Royal AM 2-1 in the quarterfinals at the Chatsworth stadium in August while Brazilians nailed neighbours SuperSport United 2-0 in the Tshwane derby at Tuks stadium.
Pirates’ marquee signing Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo walked into the starting line-up and exerted his authority in the middle of the park. The stocky midfielder made headlines when the Buccaneers announced his capture on the last day of the transfer window period. Although he displayed some nice, tricky passes, he was not that influential in the first half.
Pirates almost broke the duck in the 12th minute when Monnapula Saleng’s free kick beat Ronwen Williams but rocketed off the crossbar. At this stage, Pirates were slowly penetrating the Sundowns rear-guard and keeping Williams on his toes.
But Sundowns fought back and also started asking the Pirates goalkeeper Richard Ofori questions. Themba Zwane’s spectacular volley from a tight angle flew over the posts. Two minutes later, Khuliso Mudau wasted a good opportunity when he blasted his cross into the stands with Peter Shalulile waiting inside the box. Bongani Zungu made his debut for the Brazilians, but he also had little impact in the midfield. Towards the end, the two sides toiled and even if they played for another hour, a goal was not forthcoming.
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