Siyabonga Mpontshane cannot be blamed for Orlando Pirates' defeat, after Ittihad score a freak goal

Cape Town — Orlando Pirates will have a week to recover from their defeat in Benghazi, Libya, on Sunday night, when Al Ittihad ran out 3-2 winners in a keenly contested CAF Confederation Group B match.

Despite defeat Pirates still top the Group B standings with Al-Ittihad, who played their first match of the campaign on Sunday, in second place. In the other group B game over the weekend.

In the other Group B over the weekend JS Saoura defeated Royal Leopards 2-0 after being awarded a penalty in each half. It was Leopards' first match of the campaign and they qualified after upsetting JS Kabylie, the crack Algerian side which had won the CAF Champions League three times.

ALSO READ: Libyans Al-Ittihad beat Orlando Pirates in five-goal CAF Confed Cup thriller

Pirates' Sunday defeat was not well received in South Africa. Irate fans have the club a right royal pasting and goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane came in for harsh criticism which was unjustified. There is no basis for blaming him for Ittihad's first two goals because they were well taken.

Ittihad's third goal was a bizarre freak moment in the game. Midfielder Omar Al Khouja ran on to a bouncing ball and out of the blue, he hoofed the upfield on the volley. It was a perfectly timed fluke shot as it took Mpontshane by surprise at a time when he was positioned on the edge of his penalty.

Goalkeepers hardly ever remained glued to the goal line when play is around the halfway line and that was the case on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Orlando Pirates braced for a red-letter day when taking on Libya’s blue-eyed boys Al-Ittihad

The most pleasing aspect of Sunday's play was the form of Pietermaritzburg-born right back Bandile Shandu who seems to be thriving now that he has reunited with