In a thrilling encounter at the DHL Stadium, Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final clash tonight, 28 August 2024.
MTN8 Semi-Final First-leg: What Happened
The Buccaneers, the defending MTN8 champions, started the match strongly, dominating possession and creating several early chances. Just 14 minutes into the game, the famous “Captain ya ma2000” Relebohile Mofokeng fired a long ball past the Citizens‘ goalkeeper Darren Keen in a one-on-one situation. Despite City’s strong fight and somewhat dominating the last few minutes of the first half, the first half ended goalless.
The second half saw a more even contest, with both teams pushing for the opening goal. The deadlock from the already struggling City was finally broken in the 60th minute when Jaedin Rhodes gave the equalised for the Citizen with a clinical finish, leaving the defenceless Buccaneers in disappointment.
Both teams had chances to win the game in the closing stages, but neither could find the decisive goal. Pirates was left looking for answers and ways for another breakthrough, but the formidable and unbreakable City kept them away.
Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City: What’s Next?
The draw leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the second leg, which will be played at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. Pirates walks away with an away goal advantage and will be confident of finishing the job at home. Cape Town City, on the other hand, will be slightly disappointed not to have taken an advantage in the first leg and need to work much harder to cause an upset in the second leg.
Key Points:
- Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City drew 1-1 in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final.
- Relebohile Mofokeng gave Pirates the lead in the 15th minute.
- Jaedin Rhodes levelled the scores for Cape Town City 60th.
- The tie is finely balanced ahead of the second leg.
Overall, it was an exciting and closely contested match between two of the best teams in South Africa. The second leg promises to be another thrilling encounter and it is still all to play for.
Related article: MTN8 Semi-Finals: Key Talking Points Ahead of the Games