SOCCER: Gerald Combrinck
AGAINST all odds, league champions Orlando Pirates survived=20 a psychological war and “dirty tricks” campaign mounted=20 against them in their trip to Nigeria two weeks ago.=20
So it would be fair to say the Pirates have every right to=20 make life difficult for their opponents, BCC Lions, when=20 the two clubs meet in an African Champions Cup second leg=20 encounter at FNB on Sunday. The first leg ended in a 1-1=20
After first being put up in a hotel without any water, and=20 then being given the run around by Nigerian Football=20 Association officials as to when and where they were=20 actually playing, Pirates produced an admirable performance=20 in holding Lions to a draw, despite some questionable=20 refereeing decisions, including a penalty, which was saved=20 by Pirates keeper William Okpara.
It was a journey which in the end saw Pirates beating a=20 hasty retreat, via London, and critics at home were calling=20 for Pirates to mete out the same treatment to Lions. “Give=20 the Nigerians hell,” came the call from home soccer lovers.
But true champions as they are, the Buccaneers have decided=20 to treat their opponents fairly, though this will only last=20 until around 3pm on Sunday afternoon, kick-off time, and=20 from then it will be every man for himself, in a game that=20 Pirates will start as favourites.
“Regardless of the treatment we received in Nigeria, we=20 will put them up in a good hotel, and they will be playing=20 in one of the country’s best stadiums,” said Pirates PRO=20 Skumbuzo Mthembu.
But while taking nothing away from the Buccaneers, their=20 obvious enemy will be complacency, because after surviving=20 everything off the field in Nigeria, Pirates will be=20 forgiven for thinking that the battle on it is already won.=20
While Pirates are playing in African competition for the=20 first time, Lions have already won the African Cup Winners=20 trophy, or the Nelson Mandela Cup.
Lions enjoy playing the long ball for their strikers to run=20 on to, and Pirates struggled a bit in the first half of the=20 previous leg, but when the Bucs reverted to their carpet=20 style of football, even though the condition of the pitch=20 was poor, they had the big, but clumsy, Lions defenders at=20 sixes and sevens.
“On the flat FNB surface we will be able to play our=20 natural flowing game, and the ball will be firmly in our=20 court,” said Mthembu.