ORLANDO Pirates put in a hard shift to give themselves the advantage winning 1-0 in the first leg of the Caf Champions League quarter-final first leg against MC Alger at the July 5th 1962 Stadium in Algeria on Tuesday night.
There was no shortage of drama from the first minute to the last; with the exchanging of blows, pushing, pulling and shoving but Pirates remained resolute and showed no signs of losing their composure.
The likes of Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Nkosinathi Sibisi played their part as the elements of steel in that five-man defence, which was completed by captain Thapelo Xoki with Deano van Rooyen Deon Hotto flanking the wall.
The main duels involved the Algiers’ main striker, 20-year-old Mohamed Bangoura.
Indeed Bangoura, the man from Guinea, would learn the hard way that he was up against a different kind of opponent who handled with maturity he would not have expected.
Makhehlene Makhaula and Thalente Mbatha kept the midfield graft to the same level with Kabelo Dlamini linking it forward with Relebohile Mofokeng.
Another star of the show was Evidence Makgopa, who learned quickly that the shift would require more workmanship off the ball and deep in the field as opposed to his preferred final third.
It was a shift of proper suffering all-round for the Buccaneers, all the way up until the new usual suspects Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota found their combination to give the Buccaneers that all important goal.
Nkota came in at the 60th minute for Dlamini, who was yellow-carded early on in the second half, and pounced on that defence -splitting pass from Mofokeng to give Pirates that all important goal in the 65th minute.
Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine was not left out from the suffering.
Pirates will look to complete the job on April 9 at Orlando Stadium.
