Orlando Pirates reach CAF Confederation Cup final despite shock defeat

Orlando Pirates reached the CAF Confederation Cup final on Sunday despite a shock 1-0 loss to Libyan visitors Al Ahli Tripoli in a semi-final second leg.

Pirates built a 2-0 first-leg lead in Benghazi last Sunday and qualified 2-1 on aggregate for a second final appearance in the second-tier African competition.

Seemingly in a hopeless position after the home defeat, Tripoli were the better team in the return match, especially in the opening half on a cold, damp night in Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

But with the match heading for a goalless stalemate, Libyan substitute Ali Abu Arqoub scored on 89 minutes to set up a tense finish, which included four minutes of added time.

A second Tripoli goal would have taken the semi-final to a penalty shootout, but the tired visitors never threatened to score a second time at Orlando Stadium.

Penalty decision reversed

Ahly dominated the early exchanges and were awarded a penalty midway through the half when Pirates' gaffe-prone captain and centre-back Happy Jele handled.

The Gambian referee pointed to the spot, but later changed his mind after reviewing the incident on the touchline VAR monitor.

While replays confirmed the ball came off the boot of Jele and touched his right hand, the match official presumably considered it a ball-to-hand situation rather than vice versa.

Ghana-born Richard Ofori of Pirates was the much busier goalkeeper, repeatedly thwarting Tripoli with acrobatic saves and parries, while opposite number Muhammad Nashnoush was a virtual spectator.

The only time Pirates threatened to score in the opening 45 minutes was off a free-kick which eluded the Ahly defence, but unmarked Jele failed to connect with the ball.

Pirates improved in the second half, helped by a