Orlando Pirates have grinded out a hard-fought 1-0 aggregate win over MC Alger to book their ticket for the CAF Champions League semi-finals.
Jose Riveiro made just one switch from the first leg, with Mohau Nkota replacing Kabelo Dlamini in the starting XI, meaning Patrick Maswanganyi also dropped back to the bench after starting in the 1-0 win over Polokwane City.
Deon Hotto had the first real chance of the game but his shot from outside the box just missed the post.
But that was the only notable chance of the first stanza, with Pirates looking less in control than many of their fans would’ve liked.
Even though Alger didn’t create too many chance, they edged the half with 60-40% possession.
The second half continued in similar fashion, with the visitors dominating the ball without really testing Sipho Chaine.
Tshegofatso Mabasa had the best chance of the game, but his shot from close range only hit the post in the third minute of injury-time.
In the end, the first-leg goal by Nkota was enough to separate the two sides over 180 minutes and Pirates returned to the last-four of the competition for the first time since 2012/13.
