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Pirates concede two then bounce back in style to trounce Leopards in Confed

Kwame Peprah and Kabelo Dlamini of Orlando Pirates during the Caf Confederation Cup game against Royal Leopards at Mbombela Stadium on February 27 2022.
Kwame Peprah and Kabelo Dlamini of Orlando Pirates during the Caf Confederation Cup game against Royal Leopards at Mbombela Stadium on February 27 2022.
Image: Dirk Kotze/BackpagePix

Orlando Pirates recovered from conceding twice in the opening seven minutes to thrash Eswatini side Royal Leopards 6-2 in their Caf Confederation Cup Group B clash at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday.

Pirates head their pool with six points from three games after a match played in SA after Leopards’ home stadium in Eswatini was banned by the Confederation of Africa Football. 

Pirates were left stunned as they fell 2-0 behind inside seven minutes when Mzwandile Mabelesa (fifth minute) and SA striker Thabiso Mokenkoane (seventh) netted to leave the home side in dreamland.

But the Buccaneers grew into the contest and led by half time as Leopards’ Machawe Dlamini scored an own goal (20th), and Bandile Shandu (38th) and Kwame Peprah (45th) added two more for Bucs.

They managed another three goals in the second period through skipper Happy Jele (57th), Kabelo Dlamini (60th) and Terrence Dzvukamanja (80th), though it might have been a lot more as they outclassed their hosts.

The match was briefly under threat before kickoff when a group of people who claimed to have crossed the border from Eswatini tried to stop the Leopards' team bus entering the stadium.

They were reportedly doing so in protest about the violent crackdown by King Mswati III on anti-monarch protests in the country that flared up last year, but the police escort with the home side’s bus ensured passage into the venue.

Pirates’ slow start allowed Leopards to score twice in the opening few minutes. The first came as Mabelesa drilled a shot goalwards and the ball deflected into the net off Jele.

The Buccaneers were recovering from that shock when the Eswatini side added a second as Mancoba Maseko provided a deep cross and Mokenkoane outjumped a poor effort from Jele to steer the ball into the net.

Striker Mokenkoane previously played for Maluti FET College and University of Pretoria, and was a teammate of Pirates star Thembinkosi Lorch with the Free State side.

Pirates were shell-shocked and took another 10 minutes to come out of their shell, but once they did they started to dominate the game.

They pulled a goal back midway through the first half when Kabelo Dlamini’s drilled low cross deflected into the net off Leopards defender Machawe Dlamini.

They were level on 38 minutes with a superb piece of play as Deon Hotto split the home side’s defence with a brilliant pass and right-back Shandu made a lung-bursting run into the box to get onto the end of it and score.

Pirates were well on top before the break and had the lead when Hotto’s cross to a completely unmarked Peprah allowed the Ghana forward an easy score.

Leopards had reached this stage of the competition on the back of a strong defence but looked all at sea against Pirates, and Jele made up for his earlier error with a headed goal from Hotto’s free-kick, the latter gaining a hat-trick of assists.

The SA side were cutting Leopards apart almost at will and on the hour mark they scored their fifth goal as Kabelo Dlamini collected the ball in acres of space and cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot into the top corner.

There was still time for a sixth when substitute Dzvukamanja was sent clear on goal by a brilliant Peprah pass and he had all the time and space he needed to provide the finish.

The teams meet again when Pirates host Leopards at Orlando Stadium on March 13. 


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