Johannesburg - A moment of brilliance or madness is likely to decide whether the CAF Confederation Cup stays in Sousse with Etoile du Sahel, or Orlando Pirates return with it on Wednesday from Tunisia.
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That’s because of how much the clubs know about each other, having done extensive research before the first leg of the final at Orlando Stadium last Saturday.
Two of the most lethal strikers in this competition, Pirates’ Kermit Erasmus and Sahel’s Baghdad Bounedjah, were closed down because of that extensive knowledge. The pair, who are also in the running for the CAF African-based Footballer of the Year award, were left frustrated because they hardly got space to make their dangerous runs.
It took the brilliance of Thamsanqa Gabuza to power Pirates into the lead before a moment of madness, where Issa Sarr conceded a needless free kick four minutes before fulltime. Happy Jele tried to clear the ball but instead headed it towards the path of Ammar Jemal, who scored Sahel’s crucial away goal in the 1-1 draw at Orlando Stadium.
The two clubs cancelled each other throughout 90 minutes, which means that a Plan B is needed for the side that will sleep on Sunday night victorious. Pirates coach Eric Tinkler understands that. It will be in his mind when Pirates leave for Tunisia today.
“I look at all those elements after the game when I re-watched it, it was difficult for Kermit to create space for himself,” Tinkler said. “Some of that was because of their marking but some of that was because of our movement. We didn’t give ourselves too much space. We need to create that.
Source:iol.co.za
