Orlando Pirates Player Ratings: Ofori outstanding as Hotto struggles against Al Ahli

The reason why Pirates progressed to the final.

Ofori was so imperious in goal, collecting crosses and making eight saves on the night. He was only beaten by Ali Arqoub's deflected shot. 

Started as an attacking midfielder before switching to right-back.

Shandu showed good movement, tenacious tackling and perceptive passing. He also got himself in goalscoring positions and he was denied by goalkeeper Muhammad Nashnoush twice.

Unlike Mabaso, he played well.

Maela did really well to protect his flank as Al Ahli got no joy from him. However, he didn't offer much going forward.

Worked his socks off.

Jele got stuck in to try and stem the tide of Al Ahli's attacks. He was relieved when the decision to award Al Ahli a penalty was overturned following a Video Assistant Referee review.

He was initially adjudged to have handled the ball in the Bucs box when the penalty was awarded.  

Marked his return to the team with a solid performance.

Ndah produced a sturdy display at the heart of Pirates' defence. He swept up anything Al Ahli tried in attack with the visitors limited to long-range shots.

Absolutely atrocious.


Al Ahli identified him as the weak link in the Bucs defence and most of their attack came through Mabaso's flank. This led to his substitution in the 35th minute.

Nowhere near his effective self in the first half.


Motshwari failed to stamp his authority in the midfield, giving the visitors space to shoot at the Pirates goal in the first half. However, he improved after the restart as he won back possession and passed the ball well.

Never stopped running in the middle of the park.

Mosele pinged the ball about the pitch with consummate ease and he defended well too. He was unlucky when Arqoub's shot deflected off him and beat Ofori.

Started the match slowly.

Lorch was kept quiet by the Al Ahli defence in the first half and he couldn't make his usual penetrative runs. However, he played well after the restart, linking up well with Kwame Peprah, but he failed to take shots at goal.

Struggled to make an impact.

Hotto made some delicate touches on the ball but he was indecisive in the final third. He didn't know when to pass the ball or shoot at goal and Bucs' attacks were halted. 

Silenced by the visitors' defence in the first half.


Just like Lorch was kept quiet in the first half, before bursting into life in the second. He took a few shots at goal including one which was blocked by Nashnoush before being substituted.

Replaced Mabaso in the first half and he kept the ball moving and made some promising runs, but most of his passes were poor.

Came on in the 68th minute and he became a threat to the Al Ahli defence with his sharp movement - forcing Nashnoush into a decent save. 

Introduced in the 79th and he helped Bucs win back possession as he pressed and rushed the Al Ahli players. 

Also came on in the 79th minute as he made his first appearance for Bucs since October last year and he couldn’t really impact the game.