Cape Town - Orlando Pirates scored a 6-2 come-from-behind win over Royal Leopards in a CAF Confederation Cup Group B match at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday evening after leading 3-2 at halftime.
After trailing 2-0 in the opening seven minutes, Pirates' fightback produced six unanswered goals to consolidate their position at the top of the Group B standings after three matches. Leopards, Confederation Cup debutants, are rock-bottom and pointless, two matches later.
Leopards, the Confederation Cup upstarts, shocked all and sundry six weeks ago when they eliminated two-time Champions League title-holders Algeria's JS Kabylie in the qualifying round.
The Eswatini police team, executing a rather direct playing pattern, exerted a high press straight from the kick-off, and Pirates were rudely surprised. Such was Leopards' early pressure that after only seven minutes of play, they were leading 2-0.
Earlier, Pirates’ defence looked decidedly vulnerable after conceding two corners in the opening four minutes. The threat became real when Pirates failed to clear the second corner, and the ball fell obligingly for defender Mzwandile Mabelesa who was up in the striking zone for the set-piece.
His parting shot deflected off Pirates defender Happy Jele and ricochetted past helpless goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane (1-0).
Two minutes later, Mpontshane again retrieved the ball from the back of the net, as Pirates were stunned by a second goal. This time Thabiso Mokenkoane, former Pretoria University striker, rose above the Pirates central defence to score with a header after connecting with a Mancoba Maseko cross into the opposition goalmouth (2-0).
☠️ FT || Royal Leopards 2 - 6 @orlandopirates
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) February 27, 2022
🥅 20' (OG) M. Dlamini
🥅 38' Shandu
🥅 45' Peprah
🥅 57' Jele
🥅 60' Dlamini
🥅 80' Dzvukamanja
⚫⚪🔴⭐#Matchday #TotalEnergiesCAFCC #OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/W4YGhD3lDe
Soon after this advance, Leopards continued in attacking vein, but this time Pirates weathered the storm and bounced back spectacularly to turn the match on its head. In a matter of 25 minutes, Pirates scored three unanswered goals.
Starting in the 20th minute, Pirates midfielder Kabelo Dlamini worked his way deep into the Leopards' half before he whipped in a crosskick. Dlamini's namesake, Machawe Dlamini, the Leopards captain tried to deal with the danger but deflected the ball into his net (2-1).
After surviving a scare when Leopards came close to scoring, Pirates finally managed to take the game by the scruff of the neck as play wound to the close of the first half.
Next to score was fullback Bandile Shandu who ghosted into the striking zone in what was a smart play off the ball. Teammate Deon Hotto spotted the opportunity and slipped the ball to Shandu, who finished expertly to equalize (2-2).
A minute into first-half injury time, Pirates made it 3-2 when striker Kwame Pepra nodded home yet another Hotto scoring feed (3-2).
Judging by the crestfallen expressions on the faces of Leopards' players, the third goal marked the beginning of the end for the Eswatini champions.
That much was confirmed after 15 minutes of play in the second half when Pirates added to Leopards' woes with two more goals. First Pirates skipper Jele scored with a glancing header in the 57th minute (4-2)
Next on the scoresheet was Kabelo Dlamini who scored with an angled left-footed drive after latching on to a crossfield Thembinkosi Lorch feed (5-2).
After Pirates emptied their substitutes bench, Zimbabwean Terrence Dzvukamanja, made his substitution stint count when he hammered home his side's sixth goal, 10 minutes from the head.
@Herman_Gibbs