Orlando Pirates qualified for the 2026/27 CAF Champions League group stage after beating African Stars 4-0 on the night (and 5-0 on aggregate) in the second leg of the second qualifier at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday.

The Buccaneers started the game positively and created several opportunities in the first half, and Stars only registered one shot at goal, and it was also off target.

Bulelani Sigomoshe made a brilliant run on the right flank in the 12th minute and looked for Evidence Makgopa with a cutback, but the Stars defence intervened.

Few seconds later, Makgopa found some space in a good area and unleashed a powerful shot towards goal, but was denied by goalkeeper Mervin Kasetura.

The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 18th minute when Thapelo Mokobodi found the net, rewarding Pirates for their sustained attacking pressure.

Ten minutes later, Mokobodi came close to grabbing his brace after spotting the Kasetura off his line, but his curling shot went narrowly wide of goal, much to the relief of the goalkeeper.

The visitors looked rattled by the early goal from Pirates and they applied a low block and left only one man upfront and as a result they failed to create any meaningful attacks.

Evidence Makgopa tried to direct Tshepang Moremi’s low cross towards goal in the 43rd, but his shot went just wide. It didn’t take long for Makgopa to find the net though, as he doubled the Buccaneers on the stroke of half-time with a low shot.

Pirates led 2-0 at the break.

Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou introduced Kabelo Kgositsile and Mpho Padime for Thalente Mbatha respectively at the start of the second half. This proved to be a stroke of genius from the Moroccan coach as it took less than a minute for one of his substitutes, Padime, to make an impact as he tripled Pirates’ lead with a nice finish from a Makgopa cross.

Makgopa would later complete his brace and make it 4-0 for Pirates in the 77th minute, and that proved to be the final nail in the Stars’ coffin.