Mngqithi rues Sundowns' attacking toothlessness in Pirates MTN8 draw

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi was disappointed by how his team didn't have a shot on target in their 0-0 draw against Orlando Pirates when they met in their MTN8 first-leg semi-final at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Sundowns, who played with crack forward Peter Shalulile and Thabiso Kutumela as the strikers up-front, had nine shots at goal, but none on target.

None of them remotely tested Pirates keeper Richard Ofori as Pirates kept a clean sheet for the first time in five games against Sundowns.

READ | Sundowns, Pirates play to cracking but goal-less draw in MTN8 'Star Derby' semi-final

The draw, which meant the return leg on 22 October is a straight shootout between the teams, helped Pirates avoid defeat against Sundowns for the first time since 2020.

"It's very rare. I don't want to lie, which is why I'm saying this was a game of small margins," Mngqithi said.

"If you look at the first chance from Ronwen Williams to Peter, it was a clear chance to take a shot and score and Khuliso Mudau had two moments on the Pirates side of the field.

"He had two chances where he had no one next to him, from where he ballooned the shots over the bar.

"It was a rare thing where we created so many chances, but did not have a shot on target. Peter also had two moments that needed composure."

RECAP | MTN8 semi-final | Orlando Pirates v Mamelodi Sundowns

Mngqithi put the indecisiveness of his team in the final third down to a lack of composure and misused intelligence.

 Mngqithi said they had chances where they went forward with purpose, but didn't make the most of the spaces they opened up in Pirates' defence.

"I wasn't happy with the composure and the intelligence in some of the moments that we had," Mngqithi said.

"The first moment