Pirates book final spot
THE Buccaneers progressed to the Confederation Cup final despite losing to Al Ahli Tripoli in the second leg of their semi-final at a chilly Orlando Stadium last night.
In the final, which will be hosted at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, on Friday, Bucs will face either TP Mazembe or RS Berkane, who were set to meet in the second leg of their semi-final late last night.
Pirates may have blown hot and cold in domestic football but they’ve been in superb form on the continent.
Their dominance showed in the first leg of the semi-final as they beat Tripoli in their own backyard on an unfamiliar artificial pitch, thanks to goals from Innocent Maela and Goodman Mosele.
Winning this competition will give Pirates their second success in African football, having won the Champions League in 1995, but that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically qualify for continental football next season.
That’s why the Bucs will have to ensure that they at least finish in the top three this season by winning their last three games of their league campaign and hope that their counterparts lose points.
After bagging an invaluable win in Benghazi, Pirates came into this match knowing that their fate was in their hands if they were going to reach their first continental final since 2015.
Bucs started well as they were making inroads into the final third of Tripoli. However, they had nothing to show for their dominance, with Happy Jele missing a sitter from close-range after a Deon Hotto set-piece.
However, it was the visitors that nearly got the breakthrough after referee Bakary Gasasama initially penalised Jele for handball inside the penalty box in the first 20 minutes.
But after consultation with VAR, Gassama overturned his penalty decision, much to the relief of the local fans.
Tripoli continued to pile the pressure on the Buccaneers in search of the lead, but they couldn’t penetrate as Richard Ofori also pulled off a smart save after a piledriver from wing-back Mahmoud Okashah.
With the progression of the first half, the two teams adopted a cautious approach as most of the action was in the middle of the park, where Pirates’ Mosele and Ben Motshwari dictated play.
Bucs, though, made a forced substitution in the first stanza as Abel Mabaso was pulled off and replaced by Siphesihle Ndlovu after sustaining an injury.
The home side started the second half on a high note and they should have taken the lead after Thembinkosi Lorch put Kwame Peprah through on goal, only for the Ghanaian forward to hit the side netting with a hard and low shot.
Pirates continued to dominate
possession, with some great build-up play, but finishing let them down.
A late long-range strike from Ali Abu Arqoub ensured that Tripoli got a consolation goal, but Pirates
and the 5 000 spectators that braved the chilly Johannesburg weather conditions were indeed “The Happy People” in the end they reached the continental final.