Orlando Pirates and Algeria’s ES Sétif played to a scoreless draw on Wednesday in CAF Confederation Cup play, a result that the South African side will be relieved with due to an underwhelming performance. The result keeps the Bucs in first place in Group A and maintains a relatively safe distance from risk of falling out of a top-2 spot. The situation is a bit more dire for Sétif, who will need Al Ahly Benghazi to get a result in Libya against Nigeria’s Enyimba on Thursday to keep their knockout round hopes alive.
The urgency of Sétif to keep destiny in their own hands was apparent from the kickoff. Both teams traded speculative efforts in the first-half, the most notable incident being Pirates goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane’s forced substitution for regular starter Wayne Sandilands due to injury. A flurry of early opportunities after the break tested Sandilands but the veteran secured all shots without giving Sétif a rebound. The best chance to break the deadlock came in the 87th minute from a Sétif corner-kick, but Ibrahim Hachoud failed to direct his header on target from close range.
Highlights are below.
