SANDILANDS HEROICS SAVES BUCS BLUSHES
ESPERANCE ............................................ (1) 2 Badri 16 Jouini 89
ORLANDO PIRATES ..................................... 0
IT COULD have been worse. It should have been worse.
But thanks to some brilliant goalkeeping by Wayne Sandilands, the Buccaneers’ first defeat in 28 matches in all competitions was by just two goals, the second of which was scored at the death.
Their two defeats in that period had been via shoot-out from the penalty spot.
In the empty Stade El Menza out in Tunis, Pirates’ inability to defend set-pieces should have seen them lose this Caf Champions League Group B match by a handful of goals.
It took the brilliance of Sandilands between the sticks to ensure that Esperance’s ascend to the summit of the group was via a single strike. That goal came early in the game via a cleverly worked free-kick that clearly caught Pirates by surprise.
With the Pirates wall anticipating the ball to be shot high above them into the box, Esperance instead cut it low towards the danger area. Incredibly, Arcine Badri was allowed to peel off the wall and get to the ball unmarked.
He had the easiest of chances slotting home past the helpless Sandilands although it has to be said that the defending was nothing short of diabolical.
Esperance taking the lead was no surprise as, for the first 25 minutes of the match, the Buccaneers hardly got a look in as the Esperance passing game ran with precision. Unsure of themselves, Pirates conceded free-kicks at an alarmingly high rate.
As early as the fifth minute, the African champions from Tunisia were forcing a good save out of Sandilands from a set piece given away courtesy of a clumsy Innocent Maela tackle.
Fantastic save
The ball was curled brilliantly into the box to elude the Pirates defence and found an Esperance head only for Sandilands to pull of a fantastic save.
While the visitors launched their own attack almost immediately and forced a corner from which they got another one, that was the only real threat at the home side’s goal in the first half.
Instead it was a case of backs to the wall for Pirates in the initial half-hour and the many set-pieces they conceded were always going to prove costly.
And they did on the16th minute when Badri put Esperance ahead following that clever free-kick.
There was very little improvement in the way Pirates defended and that they went to the break merely a goal down was thanks to the brilliance of Sandilands who pulled off no less than three good saves.
While Pirates eventually settled and enjoyed some moments of possession and a few forays into the opposition half, it was never the kind to trouble Esperance.
It was the same story in the second half with Esperance the dominant side in attack and Sandilands once again having to come to Pirates’ rescue as they continued to give away set-pieces.
On 53 minutes the Bucs No 1 pulled off two brilliant saves in quick succession to deny Mohamad Ali Yakoubi from scoring with headers following well-taken corner kicks.
Three minutes later Sandilands denied Esperance the second when he blocked an attempt in a one-on-one situation.
Another set-piece on 68 minutes saw the Pirates defence caught flat-footed, allowing Coulibaly a free header. But again Sandilands flung himself to the side and pushed the ball away from the target.
And then with the match practically over, Sandilands committed a rare error by leaving his line to try and fend off Badri.
But the striker crossed for Hathem Jouini to slot home into the empty net and send the Buccaneers suffering a very rare defeat in open play.