Bucs a step closer to knockout stage

Orlando Pirates inched closer to the Caf Confederation Cup quarterfinals yesterday, despite being held to a goalless draw by Algerian club ES Setif at the Orlando Stadium.

The Buccaneers are guaranteed a place in the last eight if Al Ahly Benghazi of Libya fail to beat Enymiba of Nigeria tonight in the other Group A match.

Josef Zinnbauer’s side, however, would probably have preferred to finish the job on their own without relying on the outcome of another fixture.

Pirates looked pretty good on the ball in the opening few minutes of the match, but there weren’t many clear chances. even though they managed to get into dangerous positions in the Setif half of the pitch.

Things almost worked well for the hosts after Tshegofatso Mabasa sneaked past the visitor’s defence, but he saw his shot from inside the box blocked in the 17th minute.

Three minutes later, the Algerians nearly got a breakthrough with striker Lamotey Adzigodi chasing a strong through pass, with only Siyabonga Mpontshane to beat.

The Pirates goalkeeper was quick to come off his line to clear the ball, but ended up injuring himself and had to be replaced by Wayne Sandilands.

The Buccaneers started stronger in the second half as a great opportunity fell to Mabasa after an interchange of passes between Vincent Pule and Fortune Makaringe, but the striker’s attempt went over from close range.

The game went on with both sides on a quest to get the decisive goal, but in the end, their attempts counted for nothing.