CAF Confederation Cup
Result: GD Sagrada Esperanca 0-1 Orlando Pirates
Date: 22 December 2020
Venue: Estadio dos Coqueiros
Orlando Pirates registered a 1-0 win over Sagrada Esperanca in their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round first-leg clash on Tuesday.
Josef Zinnbauer reshuffled the pack, as Wayne Sandilands and Bongani Sam made their first starts of the season while Gabadinho Mhango and Terrence Dzvukamanja joined Thembinkosi Lorch in the attack.
Pirates settled well from a pedestrian start in the first 20 minutes and brought the Esperance goalkeeper into a smart save from a thumping strike by Fortune Makaringe.
A tight battle ensued towards the closing stages of the first half, with the Buccaneers given little time to get on the ball and into more advancing territories.
Esperanca began showing their quality ten minutes to halftime, as a close-range free-kick produced a superb save from Pirates goalkeeper Sandilands. However, the Buccaneers didn't sit back though, with a flowing move from Mhango, Makaringe and Lorch leaving the hosts to hurriedly clear their lines.
Zinnbauer went for a double substitution at halftime, with Thabiso Monyane introduced for Wayde Jooste and Makusu Mundele given his debut after replacing Linda Mntambo.
Pirates edged towards the breakthrough ten minutes from the restart, as Mhango cracked the woodwork from a set-piece before Dzvukamanja missed the far corner from a ball across goal.
Esperanca' resistance finally fell apart following a quiet spell after Lorch handed the Buccaneers a deserved lead inside the last 15 minutes of the match.
The Buccaneers looked to kill off the tie minutes later, with an offensive substitution in Deon Hotto who replaced his Malawian counterpart Mhango. However, o second goal arrived for the Sea Robbers, who marched on to a slender first-leg victory in Luanda after seeing out the remaining minutes of the match.
Here's how they started:
Pirates: Sandilands, Jooste, Nyauza, Sam, Mako, Ndlovu, Makaringe, Mntambo, Lorch, Mhango, Dzvukamanja.
Subs: Mpontshane, Sesane, Monyane, Motshwari, Hotto, Muwowo, Mundele.
