Staff Reporter.
Orlando Pirates earned a hard-fought 2-1 semifinal first leg win away against a tough, 10-man Stellenbosch FC at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The game petered out after an end-to-end affair with 15 minutes on the lock, however, both defences sat tight in warding off the respective attacking advancements.
Pirates began seeing most of the ball halfway through the first half, as the home side sat back in soaking up the pressure. Stellies were reduced to 10-men after 32 minutes played, with Thabo Moloisane receiving his marching orders following a rough challenge on Patrick Maswanganyi.
Despite playing under the cosh for most of the half, it was Stellenbosch who took the lead shortly before the break. In making the most of a corner situation, Ismael Toure rose highest and gave his side the lead with a looping header inside the area.
As the second half commenced, the Soweto giants piled on the pressure by asserting themselves on the ball. With Stellies reduced to defending on the edge of their area, Pirates continued to ask questions soon after the break.
Despite being a man down, Stellenbosch were not shy to commit numbers going forward and looked to attack at every opportunity. After an hour played in Athlone, Pirates continued to chip away in search of an equalizer.
The Soweto giants drew level in the 65th minute, as Zakhele Lepasa proved to be deadly in front of goal yet again. After a pin-point ball was whipped into the box, the attacker’s glancing header dumbfounded Sage Stephens in goal.
Pirates were met with dogged defending by Stellenbosch as the 80th minute approached, with the travelling side working hard to find a winner. However, the Cape Winelands side carved out a couple of goal-scoring opportunities during this period but failed to make the most of their chances in the final third.
After plugging away for much of the second half, Pirates’ pressure paid off in the 94th minute as Deon Hotto got his name on the scoresheet. Following a good passing move on the edge of the Stellies area, Hotto managed to get on the end of a telling cross played into the area, as Pirates nicked a positive result in Cape Town.
Meanwhile Mamelodi Sundowns struck deep in injury time to secure a 1-1 draw away to Kaizer Chiefs in the first leg of the teams’ MTN8 semifinal, played at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.