OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 1.00pm.
SOUTH African club Orlando Pirates defied the odds to defeat ASM Sangaredi 3-1 in Guinea on Sunday and reach the African Cup Winners Cup semi-finals.
Former African Champions Cup winners Pirates took a one-goal lead into the second leg of a delayed quarter-final and led 3-0 by half-time through goals from Andries Sebola (2) and Sibusiso Zuma.
Karim Conte struck a late consolation goal for unfashionable Sangaredi, who were hoping to become the first Guinean club since 1983 to reach the last four of the annual competition.
A 4-1 aggregate victory earned the Buccaneers a semi-final showdown with 1992 winners Africa Sports of Cote d’Ivoire. Club Africain of Tunisia face Al-Masry of Egypt in the other tie.
Transfers, injuries, retirement and an international call-up left Pirates Romanian coach Ted Dumitru with only 13 players for the long journey to the coastal city of Conakry.
On arrival in West Africa, the South Africans were told the match would be staged on Sunday instead of Saturday as originally scheduled, while a visit to the match venue triggered another shock.
“It looks as if the grass has not been cut for about two years,” moaned veteran Pirates manager Lawrence ‘Big Bear’ Ngubane, whose team play on arguably the finest surface in Africa at FNB Stadium.
But his pre-match anger turned to delight when the final whistle blew on Sunday evening as he praised the players for a heroic effort under extreme pressure.
Club Africain survived a late scare to defeat Power Dynamos of Zambia 2-1 in Tunis on Saturday night through early goals from Algerian Rezki Amrouche and Togolese Libambani Yedibahoma.
Danny Chulampongo set up an exciting finish with a 77th-minute goal for the 1991 winners, who came from behind in the first leg to force a 1-1 on the Copperbelt. — AFP