A year ago this round ended in a penalty shoot-out and an early exit. This time Soweto did not have to hold its breath at all. Seconds into the second half the tie was gone, and the Buccaneers could start thinking about the group stage.
The Pirates v African Stars result was a 4-0 win at Orlando Stadium on Friday night, 5-0 on aggregate after last weekend’s 1-0 in Gaborone, the club and CAF confirmed. Orlando Pirates are in the CAF Champions League group stage, and on a night when Mamelodi Sundowns went out, they are now South Africa’s only club left in it.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Result | Orlando Pirates 4-0 African Stars |
| Aggregate | 5-0 |
| Goals | Thapelo Mokobodi, Evidence Makgopa (2), Mpho Padime |
| Venue | Orlando Stadium, Soweto |
| Stage | CAF Champions League, second preliminary round, second leg |
| Through to the group stage | Orlando Pirates |
How the Pirates v African Stars result was built
Simphiwe Masilela was the man who kept opening doors. Midway through the first half he crossed from the right and Thapelo Mokobodi arrived at the back post to slide it in, the club’s report said. FARPost called it Mokobodi’s first Champions League goal for Pirates since he arrived from Stellenbosch in the off-season.
Evidence Makgopa, picked ahead of Yanela Mbuthuma according to FARPost, made it two on the stroke of half-time. Masilela slipped him through the middle and he finished between the legs of goalkeeper Mervin Kasetura, Pirates reported.
Then the moment of the night. Abdeslam Ouaddou made three changes at the break, Mpho Padime and Deon Hotto among them, and within seconds of the restart Padime had scored with his first touch, from Makgopa’s pass. iDiski Times and FARPost both recorded it as his first goal for the club. At 3-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate, the Namibian champions had nowhere left to go.
Makgopa completed his double late on. Hotto got in behind the African Stars defence and squared for Makgopa to finish, the club reported. Kasetura still had time to deny Simphiwe Selepe before the end, which tells you how one-sided the last half-hour was.
The men who made the night
Makgopa will take the headlines, and rightly: two goals and an assist on a start that, IOL noted, was his first since returning to the team. But Masilela set up the first two, and the Pirates XI read like a squad with options. Tshepang Moremi, whose rise we profiled in our One to Watch piece, started and made way at half-time. He scored the only goal of the first leg in Gaborone.
Why this one matters
Last season Pirates fell at exactly this hurdle, losing to FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo on penalties after the tie finished level, FARPost recalled. Our return-leg preview set out what was at stake on Friday. That hurt is now history in the proper sense. Pirates join Petro de Luanda and Young Africans among the clubs already through, iDiski Times reported.
There is a weight that comes with it, too. With Sundowns beaten on away goals by Wiliete in Pretoria and Kaizer Chiefs out of the Confederation Cup, every South African eye in this competition is now on the black and white.
What comes next for Pirates
The week does not slow down. Milford FC visit Orlando Stadium for the knockout cup last 16 on Tuesday 27 October at 19:00, the PSL confirms, and then comes the Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on Saturday 31 October. Follow the build-up on our Orlando Pirates page, and the rest of this weekend’s games are in our fixture guide.
Five goals, no reply, and the group stage booked. Soweto will sleep well.