Orlando Pirates dug deep to draw first blood in their CAF Champions League Second Preliminary Round tie with Namibia’s African Stars, winning 1-0 in the first leg encounter played at the Botswana National Stadium on Saturday.

The win gave the Buccaneers a slight edge ahead of Friday’s deciding leg at Orlando Amstel Arena, with 90 minutes now standing between them a coveted spot in the group stage of the prestigious competition. It was all thanks to a solid show of character against the stubborn Samba Boys who proved difficult to break down for most of what was a physically-demanding encounter.

The sweltering heat in the Botswana capital did not deter the Soweto Giants from a high-tempo start as they sought to take an early advantage in the tie. Their first chance came in the 15th minute when Simphiwe Masilela located Gamphani Lungu from a corner, with the winger’s diving header narrowly missing the target.

Striker Yanela Mbuthuma went close on two occasions midway through the opening period, first drawing a save from goalkeeper Mervin Kasetura before going narrowly wide when he connected with an excellent through ball from Bulelani Sigomoshe.

The game maintained a lively tempo with the Buccaneers doing most of the attacking, but they were not without one or two nervy moments with Sipho Chaine called upon to make a save against the run of play. Most of the defending however fell the way of the hosts, with Lungu knocking on the door late on in the first half when he directed a header inches past the upright.

It remained goalless as the two sides went to the break, and the Buccaneers returned from the tunnel looking to carry momentum from the first period in their search for the opener. The breakthrough could have come 11 minutes after the restart when Mbuthuma went one-on-one with Kasetura, who did well to prevent him from getting a shot away.

Stars meanwhile had the odd promising moment, but could not make the most of it with the Bucs defence alongside Chaine ensuring that the scores remained level. However, the deadlock did not last for too long after that, with Pirates’ persistence eventually paying off.

The breakthrough came from the boot of Moremi who found a way past Kasetura, securing an all-important away goal as he put Pirates in front in the 75th minute. His goal meant that the visitors were tasked with their busiest period in defence as their hosts immediately went in search of the leveller.

Pirates’ quality shone through in the dying moments as they expertly dealt with the pressure posed by Stars while asking questions of their own at the other end. Their resilience took them to the final whistle, which confirmed a hard-fought victory giving the Soweto Giants a foot in the group stage of the Champions League.

Pirates XI: Chaine, Seema, Sibisi (Zulu 70’), Sigomoshe, Ndaba, Selepe, Mbatha, Masilela, Lungu, Moremi (Padime 82’), Mbuthuma (Makgopa 70’).