Orlando Pirates silence seven-time Europa League winners

The Buccaneers were in a class of their own against the La Liga side

Orlando Pirates claimed a major scalp when they beat seven-time Europa League champions Sevilla 2-0 in their friendly match on Monday.

Pirates started the first half slow but they had the better chances in the opening exchanges with Tshegofatso Mabasa attempting from distance.

Both sides huffed and puffed until the 20th minute when Monnapule Saleng had an opportunity to break the deadlock. The winger weaved his way past his markers but his attack was foiled, leading to a corner.

From the corner, teen sensation Relebohile Mofokeng delivered a good ball into the box and it fell to an unlikely source as captain Miguel Thimm latched onto it at the back post to score.

Pirates then found themselves on the backfoot when Deon Hotto gave away a freekick but Olisah Ndah cleared for a corner.

Pirates were lucky not to be punished from their turnovers

The Nigerian defender would give Pirates an injury scare when he went down after a tackle from Collado but after some treatment on the pitch, he was back on to the relief of his team-mates.

There was one more chance for Pirates to perhaps extend their lead following a good move between Mofokeng and Saleng but the opportunity was wasted.

After restart, Sevilla were quick off the blocks and should have equalised when Suso beat two defenders before firing just over.

Pirates then tightened things at the back, restricting Sevilla to long-range shots, although the Soweto giants had a lot of turnovers in possession which the La Liga side did not take advantage of.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*