Orlando Pirates and Pyramids FC played out a tense 0-0 draw in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final at a packed FNB Stadium, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of next week’s decisive return leg in Egypt.
Despite the goalless scoreline, the clash was anything but dull. The visitors from Egypt looked threatening throughout the encounter and thought they had broken the deadlock twice—only for both goals to be disallowed after VAR reviews, much to the relief of the home crowd.
Pirates, meanwhile, struggled to find their attacking rhythm and will feel fortunate to have come away with a clean sheet.
Read: Sundowns and Al Ahly Play Out Cagey Stalemate in CAF Champions League Semi-Final First Leg
The Buccaneers now face a daunting trip to Cairo, where the pressure will be on to grab a crucial away goal that could swing the tie in their favour. With a spot in the CAF Champions League final on the line, it’s all to play for in what promises to be a fiery second leg.
The Egyptian club thought they had gone ahead just before the halftime interval when Fiston Mayele found the back of the net with a fine volley but just strayed a offside after a VAR check.
Pirates also came close to taking the lead in the first half but Patrick Maswanganyi fizzed his effort against the outside of the post.
Pyramids showed they have good attacking intent and could have gone ahead on the hour mark but defender Deano Van Rooyen put in a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Mostafa Fathy.
Pirates showed plenty of attacking verve themselves but failed to seriously test visiting goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy and instead had long-range efforts go wide.
The Egyptian outfit once again thought they had snatched an away victory in the 85th minute but replays showed he ball deflected off Sodiq Awujoola’s arm before going into the net and it was ruled out.
In the end both teams had to settle for a stalemate with all to play for next week.