Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler has stressed that his side tactically outplayed Al Ahly, following the team’s 3-4 away win that saw them through to the CAF Confederation Cupfinal.
The South African side successfully qualified to the CAF Confederation Cup final after beating Egyptian giants Al Ahly 5-3 on aggregate.
Tinkler stated that he tried to stop Al Ahly from building up play and putting pressure on Orlando’s defense. He said, “Al Ahly tried to put us under pressure since the start of the game, but we managed to absorb their energy and Enthusiasm.”
He then talked about Al Ahly’s disastrous defensive errors, “Al Ahly scored two goals, but they couldn’t hold on to this lead due to their defensive errors. We took advantage of the large space behind their fullbacks and successfully scored and won the game.”
“Although, I’m not sure if Al Ahly’s first goal was offside or not,” he added.
Tinkler stressed that scoring an away goal was his team’s main objective: “I told my players before the match that scoring an away goal is extremely important, it’s our key to the final.”
Eric concluded his remarks by stating that the game wasn’t easy at all against an experienced team like Al Ahly: “It was a tough game, especially against experienced players that have won plenty of African tournaments in the past.”
VIDEO: Ahly crash out of Confederation Cup after thriller
Al Ahly suffered a 3-4 loss at home to South African side Orlando Pirates, in the return leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final tie.
Despite leading 2-0 13 minutes into the second half, the Red Devils somehow managed to concede four goals in just over half an hour in a remarkable capitulation.
Al Ahly XI: Ekramy; Ali, Saad, Naguib, Rahil; Fathi, Ashour, Abdallah El-Said, Momen; Antwi, Evouna.
Orlando Pirates XI: Ovono, Matlaba, Mahamutsa, Jele, Gcaba, Masalesa, Ntshumayelo, Makola, Myeni, Majoro, Gabuza
The hosts started somewhat calmly, and their wait for the first goal extended until the 43rd minute, when Evouna rounded Ovono and slotted into an empty net.
Just eight minutes into the second half, Evouna scored his side’s second goal, heading home from a cross.
It seemed the 2014 Confederation Cup winners were heading for their second consecutive final, but the Buccaneers had other ideas.
Just after Evouna had missed a chance to complete his hat-trick, substitute Erasmus scored after a poor defensive clearance, as the collapse began.
Gabuza levelled the scores in the 75th minute, to the dismay of the approximate 2,000 fans in attendance.
It would go from bad to worse for the Egyptians, as Matlaba scored Pirates’ third to give the South Africans the lead for the first time in the match.
Amr Gamal’s 90th-minute goal meant Al Ahly needed to score twice in added time to qualify, but Rakhale capitalised on the hosts’ all-out attack to make it 3-4 with seconds remaining, as Orlando Pirates won 5-3 on aggregate.
Eric Tinkler’s men will take on Étoile Sportive du Sahel, after the Tunisians scraped through on aggregate against a distraught Zamalek yesterday.
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