LUNGILE MAJOKA
Etoile du Sahel (1) 1 Orlando Pirates (0) 0 ISahel inqobe ngo 2-1 sekuhlanganiswe nomphumela womlenze wokuqala.
K UPHINDE kwamnyama ku-Orlando Pirates ihamba ekamabuyaze eTunisia ihluleka wukubuya nendebe yeCaf Confederation Cup ihlulwa ngo 1-0 wegoli likaHappy Jele okube umkhonto ogwaze ekhaya esiwombeni sokuqala.
La maqembu abambana ngo 1-1 emlenzeni wokuqala e-Orlando Stadium ngesonto eledlule.
Okwehlele u-Eric Tinkler nezakhe kuyefana nokwavelela uRoger de Sa ngo-2013 owabuya e-Egypt elambatha behlulwa yi-Al Ahly kowamanqamu eCaf Champions League.
ISahel ebingakaze ihlulwe ekhaya kulo mqhudelwano inqobe isicoco sayo sesibili seConfederation Cup eyayigcina ngo-2006. Ukube iPirates inqobile ibizoba yiqembu lokuqala laseNingizimu Afrika ukuba ngompetha beCaf Champions League neConfederation Cup. IBucs yathola inkanyezi iba ngompetha beChampions League ngo-1995.
Uma isafuna ukubuye iyihambe le ndlela esihlule amaqembu amaningi aseNingizimu Afrika, sekumele ibuye ivuke izithathe emidlalweni yasekhaya, ilwele ukunqoba iligi noma iqede endaweni yesibili noma ibe ngompetha beNedbank Cup, okuzoyibuyisela emidlalweni yeCaf ngo-2017.
Inkundla i-Olympic Stadium, eSousse ibibila abalandeli bephephezelisa amafulegi phezulu, beshaya nokuzwakala sahubo, kukhala namakhwela ahambisana nokuhhomuzela uma ibhola liphethwe abeBucs.
Izibalo zomdlalo bezithi, iPirates iyona okufanele ithole igoli kuqala ukuze ifake ingcindezi kuSahel kodwa kunalokho iqembu lasekhaya yilona ebelixake udonga lwePirates, kwaze kwadingakala ukuthi u-Ayanda Gcaba asebenzise isicathulo, egxivaza isithenjwa seSahel uBaghdad Bounedjah obeze kulo mdlalo enamagoli ayisithupha, ogcine ekhishiwe. Nokho izinkinga zeZimnyama aziphelanga, iSahel iqhubekile nokuhlasela nokugcine ngokuthi ithole igoli ngomzuzu ka-24. UJele uhluleke wukukhipha ibhola walibhekisa kunozinti wakhe, uFelipe Ovono naye wahluleka wukulivimba. Yize kubonakale sengathi u-Ammar Jemal uyena olibeke phakathi kodwa ligcine linikwe uJele ngoba u-Ovono ulilande seluweqile ulayini.
Ngaphambi kokuthi iSahel ithole igoli, iPirates ike yathola ithuba elingandile igqashula nokho ibhola likaGabuza obezihambela yedwa laphuma eceleni. Bekuqala ukuthi iPirates ingatholi igoli ekuhambeni kulo mqhudelwano.
Okugqamile ngePirates wukuthi ibhola belingahlali ezinyaweni zalo. Isisu besixega kangangoba bekungahlangani ngisho amaphasi amabili aya phambili. ISahel ibiyenza isiqiniseko sokuthi ifika qathatha endodeni ngokuphazima kweso. Abadlali basezinhlangothini, uMpho Makola noThabo Rakhale bebefana nabangekho, obekuyinkinga kwazise ngenxa yokulandela ngemuva iPirates ibisilidinga njengemali igoli lasekuhambeni ukuze ibuyise amathemba ngokubuya nendebe.
Ezikhathini ezimbalwa lapho iPirates ibizame ukushaya ibhola elide ilibhekise kuKermit Erasmus, bekukhuza umsizi kanompempe lo mgadli ibhola limfica esemhlabeni ongafanele.
Kubuywa ekhefini iPirates ikhombise umfutho ifuna igoli, elinye lamathuba ayo ehlele uRakhale nokho kwabhimba. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi yena noMpho Makola bakhishiwe kwangena uMenzi Masuku noSifiso Myeni.
UGabuza oqede engomunye wabahlohli magoli abaphambili ngayisithupha, uke wathatha ishodi engaphandle kwepali kodwa wamfica eqaphile unozinti weSahel, u-Aymen Mathlouthi. Lo nozinti ubuye walivikela iqembu lakhe evimba i-free kick kaMyeni ngemizuzu yokugcina.