Pyramids FC scored a late goal against an impressive Marumo Gallants in the CAF Confederation Cup first leg quarter-final on Sunday evening to salvage a draw at the 30 June Stadium.
Gallants had taken the lead through red-hot striker Ranga Chivaviro who opened the scoring in the 55th minute. The 30-year-old is in a good form and now sits on 15 goals in all competitions.
A few minutes from full time, the hosts broke Gallants’ hearts by finding an equaliser in stoppage time through a Ramadan Sobhi penalty.
Heading into the encounter, both teams had performed well in the competition. In six outings, Pyramids had registered three victories, and two draws and suffered one defeat. Gallants, on the other hand, had four wins and two defeats.
The home side started the match with an attacking intent. Mostafa Fathi forced Gallants keeper Washington Arubi to make a save in the first minute.
The visitors’ first chance at goal came 10 minutes into the game. Ranga Chivaviro connected with Sibusiso Sibeko. However, he fired his shot over the bar.
In the 18th minute, Mahmoud Saber tried his luck from outside the box only for his attempt to miss the target. 11 minutes later, Saber came close to breaking the deadlock as his shot hit the post. The two teams went to the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Gallants started piling pressure on the home side in search of a goal through Sibeko and Chivaviro, but they couldn’t beat Ahmed El Shenawy.
In the second half, Pyramids threw everything in attack to level matters so they don’t disappoint their fans before getting a well-deserved equaliser.
The 1-1 draw leaves both teams with an equal chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the competition.
The return leg will be played at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday, 30 April. Kickoff is at 6pm.
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