Staff Reporter.
Orlando Pirates were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup following a 4-0 loss to Raja Casablanca in their quarter-final second-leg clash on Sunday evening.
Pirates should’ve been in the lead following six minutes from a clear chance by Siphesihle Ndlovu off a ball in behind by Deon Hotto, but he was unable to beat the opposite number.
The Bucaneers worst nightmares came to fruition, notably in the first half.
Raja took the lead in the eighth minute through Ben Malango who caused their defence trouble in the first leg as he headed beyond the reach of Wayne Sandilands.
Pirates did have their chances to draw level between the 13th and 15th minute as Innocent Maela’s shot was just slightly wide before Casablanca keeper Anas Zniti made a fine save to deny Vincent Pule.
The Green Eagles scored their second in the 22nd minute as Zakaria El Wardi struck the ball into the net following a deft assist from Soufiane Rahimi.
Nine minutes later, Rahimi went on to turn from assist provider to goal scorer as he took advantage of Pirates throwing lesser men in defence, producing an eye-catching individual run before neatly slotting the ball beyond the reach of Sandilands.
Pirates day went from bad to worse in the 36th minute as DR Congo international Malango scored his second of the game with Rahimi again the assist provider.
Pirates pushed more bodies forward as the half went on and Gabadinho Mhango was on the end of another opportunity from a free-kick, but Malango cleared.
The result meant that Pirates lost the tie 4-1 on aggregate and means that no South African team will feature in the semi-final of the Confederation Cup, a tournament which no Premier Soccer League (PSL) side has yet won.
Pirates’ focus will now turn back onto the DSTV Premiership where they have four remaining fixtures, against AmaZulu, TS Galaxy, and Baroka FC before concluding the season with a home fixture against Nedbank Cup champions Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).