Emva kweminyaka emithandathu, i-Orlando Pirates ide yayifumana indebe. IPirates ibethe iBloemfontein Celtic ngamagowuli amabini kwelinye (2-1) emdlalweni weMTN8 obutshisa bhe eMoses Mabhida Stadium ekudlalwe kuyo ngaphandle kwabalandeli ngale ntlwa. Amagowuli ephumelele ngawo iPirates afakwe nguDeon Hotto kwisigaba sokuqala noThembinkosi Lorch kwesesibini.
UJosef Zinnbauer waseJamani uyigwebile indlala egqube iminyaka kweZimnyama emva kokoyisakala kwamadoda amathathu phambi kwakhe. Nangona umdlalo obungenabo abalandeli ngenxa yeKhorona – kodwa abadlali bamaqela omabini bebezimisele. Amaqela omabini akwazile ukudala amathuba emdlalweni – kodwa into abadlali abangakwazanga ukuyenza kukuwasebenzisa kakuhle. Igoduka iphoxekile iCeltic ebethwe ngenxa yeempazamo ezincinci nasemva kokubethwa kwiNedbank Cup kwiinyanga ezigqithileyo kulo nyaka.
Isiqingatha sokuqala besitaka iintlantsi. Oku kwenzeke emva kokuba uSiphelele Luthulu ebeke iCeltic phambili emzuzwini wesithathu emdlalweni ngokubhakuzelisa umnatha ngebhola eyoyise abadlali bePirates isula ekoneni. Amakhwenkwe kaJohn Maduka awuqinisile umdlalo wawo emane ukuya phambili esebenzisa isantya esiphezulu. UZakhele Lepasa unyanzele uJackson Mabokgwane aphume ezipalini abambe ibhola ebigotywe ekunene. URichard Ofori ugcinwe exakekile ngabadlali beCeltic.
Iye yanyanzeleka iPirates imkhuphe uThabang Monare oye wonzakala, indawo yakhe ithathwe nguThembinkosi Lorch – ofike wenza umahluko emdlalweni. UDeon Hotto ufake igowuli lokulinganisa, yatsho wafunquka nomdlalo wePirates emva koko. Noxa uLepasa engakwazanga ukuwasebenzisa amathuba awafumeneyo – kodwa ebezifumana iibhola kumadoda adlala esiswini afana noHotto noFortune Makaringe. Kwisiqingatha sokuqala, yiCeltic edlale umdlalo ongcono.
Isiqingatha sesibini siqale ngesantya esifanayo nesokuqala. Amaqela omabini asukelene ezama ukufumana amagowuli wokuphumelela. URonald Pfumbidzai ukhutshwe ngekhadi elibomvu emva kokubamba uLorch obejongene nonozinti ngqo. ULorch ufake igowuli lesibini lePirates ngepenela. Nangona ibidlala ngabadlali abalishumi iCeltic – kodwa khange iyeke ukuzama. Ngomzuzu wamashumi asixhenxe, uMabokgwane uchithe ibhola ayikhalele isukelwa nguLepasa obeza kumfaka engxakini.
UNdumiso Mabena uyeke ithuba lokuvavanya uRichard Ofori emva kokubekelwa ibhola entle ngoogxa bakhe phakathi ebhokisini. Kwisigaba sesibini, uMabokgwane ebengoyena nozinti oxakekile, kufanelekile kekambe, ngoba iPirates ibiyeyona ebinamandla kuneCeltic ephulukene nomdlali onikwe ikhadi elibomvu. Iphumelele iPirates indebe yeMTN8 ngo’2-1 emva kwexesha elide izingela indebe. Le yindebe yokuqala ezuzwe nguZinnbauer ogqibe unyaka eMzantsi Afrika kutshanje.
Iphele njalo indlela yeSundowns kwiCAF Champions League!