Orlando Pirates fought back from a goal down to salvage a draw from their home leg of the MTN8 semi-final encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday afternoon, with the match at Orlando Stadium finishing in a 1-1 scoreline.
After mixed fortunes for the two sides in the lead-up to the first act of their eagerly-awaited two-legged tie, the defending champions were looking to turn the corner after a disappointing start to the league campaign. They came up against a Sundowns side still unbeaten in all competitions after registering a league win in midweek.
The clash between two of the biggest sides in South African football kicked off at a high tempo, with Pirates troubling the visitors down the right flank early on. In his first start in Bucs colours, Kamogelo Sebelebele made a storming run to get behind the defence, but was not able to link up with a teammate with his cut back.
Clear-cut chances proved to be a rarity as the pace of the game settled down, with the early period dominated by offside calls. Sundowns winger Tashreeq Matthews looked to have provided the opener, but the flag was up after mistiming his run.
The offside flag also had a say at the other end in the 21st minute when Sebelebele was denied his first goal for Buccaneers, despite replays showing otherwise. It remained goalless until the 36th minute, when Teboho Mokoena headed in from a Sundowns corner delivered by Marcello Allende. It could have quickly become an uphill climb for the hosts, if not for excellent reflexes from Sipho Chaine.
The Bucs shot-stopper kept out a long-range effort from Arthur Sales before having to recover quickly to deny Matthews from point-blank range. Meanwhile, at the other end, Pirates’ attempts at drawing level proved futile, with the visitors denying them opportunities at goal.
The halftime whistle sounded with the Brazilians still in the lead with the Buccaneers’ work cut out for them. They obliged in the second half, turning in an attacking display after the restart. Their initial chances failed to trouble goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, as both Deon Hotto and Patrick Maswanganyi fired well wide with their chances at goal. Chaine remained alert at the other end, thwarting Iqraam Rayners in a one-on-one situation.
His opposite number denied replacement forward Oswin Appollis in the 78th minute, following that up with a save off Evidence Makgopa who had benefited from sloppy defending before getting a shot away. Sebelebele was next to try and find a way past Williams, but the Sundowns shot-stopper was again equal to the task.
Pirates kept on probing, with Makgopa coming just inches from providing the equaliser when his header rattled the upright.
It looked as if it would be another frustrating outing for the hosts, but Sebelebele’s first goal in Bucs colours would not elude him for long. He got on the end of an excellent long ball from captain Mbekezeli Mbokazi, showing a clean pair of heels before firing past Williams for the equaliser with only three minutes of regulation time remaining.
The winger attempted to find a late winner a moment later, with Williams making a save this time around. A similar outcome greeted Mokoena at the other end as Chaine pulled off another great save to keep things level. That turned out to be the last real chance in an entertaining encounter, with the second leg in Atteridgeville set to decide the winner of what has so far been an enthralling tie.
Pirates XI: Chaine, Seema, Mbokazi, Van Rooyen (Appollis 62’), Hotto, Nduli, Mbatha (Mbule 62’), Maswanganyi (Moremi 72’), Sebelebele, Mofokeng, Makgopa (Radiopane 88’)
