Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns dished out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinals at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday. The second leg will be played next weekend at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.
Sundowns’ away goal gives them the upper hand going to the return match. If the second leg ends in a goalless draw, Sundowns will proceed to the final by virtue of the goal they scored in Soweto.
The match was played in a jam-packed stadium that was blanketed in a sea of black and white from the Pirates supporters and a wave of yellow and blue from the visiting Masandawana faithful.
Sold-out affair
Match tickets were sold out hours after the sales were opened, which means that there was a lot of appetite for the clash. The players did not disappoint as the match lived up to expectations. Both teams exhibited a delicious brand of football that had the fans on the edge of their seats. The only disappointing factor was the lack of goals as the two teams, especially Pirates, missed a glut of chances.
In a rather quiet first half, Teboho Mokoena opened the scoring with a bullet header from a corner kick by Marcelo Allende. The goal silenced the Bucs grandstand and saw the decibel levels rise in the Sundowns section. The strike also gave Sundowns wings as they started to dominate the proceedings.
But whatever Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou told his players during the halftime break worked like a charm. They returned to the pitch more determined and motivated. They started knocking on the door and asking questions that Sundowns found difficult to answer.
Towards the end, Evidence Makgopa had a great opportunity to level matters when he was gifted with a passage to goal by Grant Kekana but the lanky Bucs striker rushed and fired his shot straight at Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. Makgopa had another sniff at goal but his header from a corner kick crashed against the pole. The speedy Kamogelo Sebelebele, who was problematic for Sundowns also drew a fine save out of Williams.
Hard work pays off
For his hard work, Sebelele was rewarded with a goal when he equalised with seven minutes remaining on the clock. Sebelele pounced on the right, drove forward and when the oncoming Williams slipped and fell, he rolled the ball between his legs and into the net.
After the goal, Pirates pushed all their players upfront in search of the winning goal. They peppered Sundowns with shots and created anxious moments for the league champions. At this point, Sundowns were nowhere to be seen, and they held on for dear life until the final whistle which brought a lot of relief for the visitors.
