The Orlando Pirates ship steered by Spaniard Jose Riveiro is steady and sailing smoothly in the CAF Champions League, as they are unbeaten in their first two games against strong North African opponents.
Pirates played to a 0-0 draw against defending champions Al Ahly yesterday during their much-anticipated Group C encounter at the Orlando Stadium.
For the first time in a while, Orlando Stadium was packed to capacity, as the game was unsurprisingly sold out given its magnitude.
No blazing hot weather – just under 34 degrees – would deflate the crowd’s energy as the atmosphere in the Soweto arena was second to none.
The bouncy and boisterous crowd of Buccaneers sang its lungs out from the first to the final whistle.
Maybe, just maybe, the Pirates supporters are now starting to learn to play the game with the team and are already settling into the Champions League.
Going into the game itself, the first half was highly tactical as both teams kept their shape and did not commit much, which resulted in them not creating clear-cut chances on both ends of the pitch.
The second half was however, livelier, and more energetic, with teams taking the game to each other in search of a goal.
The introduction of Bafana Bafana star Percy Tau in the second half was met with mixed reactions, as a section of Bucs’ fans welcomed their compa-triot, while others unsurprisingly booed him as he made his way onto the pitch.
Coaches, Riveiro and his opposite number Marcel Koller made some changes and brought in some fresh legs on the pitch, but their efforts were not enough as they had to settle for a draw and share the spoils in what was a decent spectacle of football.
