South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) giants Orlando Pirates will come up against Jwaneng Galaxy in the next round of the CAF Champions League.
The team from Botswana emerged as the next hurdle for the Mighty Buccaneers in their quest for Group Stages qualification, after securing a hard-fought win over Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC across two legs. Galaxy squared off with the Venoms in a tense showdown on Saturday.
While Vipers entered the match trailing 0-2 from their first encounter, they rallied impressively with a 2-0 lead. But, in a dramatic twist, the visitors secured a crucial away goal in the 89th minute. Despite suffering a 2-1 setback, Galaxy advances to the subsequent round, aligning with their Southern African peers.
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Speaking on earning qualification, Pirates coach Jose Riveiro said: “I knew it, but now I really know. But, we are learning, trying to keep the focus on things that I can. [Like] help my players to look better and not lose concentration with external factors that used to happen around the games.
“That may be the most important thing for all of us. For the whole team to focus on the things that we like to do, which is to play football at our best and have the proper mindset for this competition because it requires a different one, I think.”
The last time these two sides met was in 2021 during the Preliminary stages of the Confederation Cup. The Buccaneers won both legs (3-0 away and 1-0 home) to pave their way into the next round.