Orlando Pirates eased into the next round of the CAF Champions League following their commanding 4-0 win over Lioli FC in the second leg of their first preliminary round, which was decided at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
A convincing 7-0 aggregate score sent the Soweto giants cantering into the second preliminary round, while capping a brief return to the continental competition for the Lesotho champions.
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It brought the 1995 African champions a step closer to the group stage of the prestigious tournament, with the winner of the tie between St Eloi Lupopo and Al-Merrikh awaiting in the next round.
Picked up where they left off
Three goals to the good halfway through the tie, the hosts looked to pick up where they left off in what was a dominant first-leg display.
They immediately set up camp deep in the Lesotho champion’s territory, where midfielder Sipho Mbule produced the game’s first real opportunity with a looping header from a set piece which landed over the crossbar.
Lioli needed a bit of a helping hand from the Buccaneers in order to get their first chance, and it came in the form of a misplaced pass which helped the visitors turn possession over in a dangerous area.
Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine was however able to get a crucial touch to stop the attack, with Sihle Nduli producing the clearance.
The Buccaneers remained the more dominant of the two sides and could have gone ahead just before the half-hour mark.
This was when Evidence Makgopa was allowed space to shoot on the edge of the box, only to direct his effort inches wide of the target.
Storming run
One of their best chances in the first half came in the 36th minute when Kamogelo Sebelebele made a storming run down the flank before linking with Oswin Appollis, who misdirected his shot from in front of goal with goalkeeper William Huni left with some ground to cover to make a save.
A foul on Sebelebele presented the home side a last-gasp opportunity to extend their aggregate lead at the end of the opening period.
The resultant free-kick, taken just outside the penalty area was taken by Tshepang Moremi who produced a brilliant left-footed curling shot into the back of the net, leaving Huni rooted to his spot.
Having ensured that their visitors had an uphill climb for what was effectively the last quarter of the two-legged tie, Orlando Pirates made the chase even steeper two minutes after the second-half restart.
Moremi doubled his tally on the day with a long-range effort, helped along by sloppy goalkeeping from Huni who found the bounce from the shot extra tricky as the ball slid past him into the net.
Open the floodgates
Mbule had a chance from a set piece, and went narrowly wide before replacement forward Yanela Mbuthuma failed to curl one past Huni after turning possession over deep in Lioli territory.
The striker would be the one to open the floodgates, as he got off the mark in Bucs colours in the 78th minute when he linked up with fellow substitute Thabiso Lebitso to make it 3-0 on the day.
Mbuthuma was not done, with only two more minutes lapsing before he brought up his brace with a poacher’s effort from just in front of goal following a scramble inside the Lioli penalty area.
That placed the Buccaneers well clear on aggregate, with the visitors needing at least seven goals with less than 10 minutes remaining in their efforts to stay in the game.
Substitute goalkeeper Melusi Buthelezi had no issues dealing with the odd attack launched in his direction, but it was his opposite number Huni who remained the busier of the two glovemen.
The Lesotho international kept out a goal-bound shot from midfielder Masindi Nemtajela, but only in the direction of Mbuthuma whose attempt at bringing up his hat-trick was thwarted by the upright.
That only succeeded in sparing the visitors further blushes, with Orlando Pirates walking away with a commanding 7-0 aggregate win on their return to continental action.
Orlando Pirates
Chaine (Buthelezi 52’), Seema, Sibisi, Sebelebele, Ndaba, Nduli (Nemtajela 46’), Mbule, Dansin (Maswanganyi 57’), Appollis (Lebitso 69’), Moremi, Makgopa (Mbuthuma 52’)
