Orlando Pirates move another step closer to picking a quarter-final ticket in the CAF Confederations Cup following an emphatic 3-0 victory against Libyan side, Al Ahli Benghazi, on Sunday.
Pirates hosted the Libyan giants at the Orlando Stadium after playing a goalless draw in the first leg.
With the group A standings looking tight after matchday 3, the Soweto giants knew they had to win to put themselves in a good position to advance further.
However, it was the visitors that were the quickest out the blocks as they displayed great aggression to starve the hosts of possession in the opening ten minutes.
That did not last too long though, with the Soweto giants beginning to surge forward halfway through the first half.
The breakthrough for Pirates eventually came in the 26th minute, and it was through an unlikely source in centre-back Ntsikelelo Nyauza, who was the recipient of a corner from Deon Hotto.
The defender had two bites at the cherry, as his first attempt – a header – fell on his feet, where he fired home from close range to make it 1-0.
The Buccaneers continued to control matters, making frequent visits to the opposition’s half. It was only a matter of time before the second goal and they soon got their reward.
In the 41st minute, they got their second of the day from a corner-kick once more. Hotto found Tshegofatso Mabasa this time around, and the striker headed into the near-post with help from a deflection on Ahli Benghazi Abubakar Milad.
Pirates headed to the dressing room with two goals already in the bag and three points in sight.
Ahli Benghazi returned to the second half looking more threatening as they enjoyed better possession than they did in the first half.
Towards the hour-mark, the Buccaneers regained their momentum, spelling more trouble for the North Africans once again.
The third goal came in the 69th minute after sleek work from Hotto on the left flank. The 29-year-old skinned the defence before floating in a cross to Tshegofatso Mabasa, who was denied by a fine save from point-blank range before Dlamini scored from the rebound.
Three goals were all Josef Zinnbauer’s men needed to top the group after Enyimba also lost by the same margin to ES Setif in Algeria.
With the result, Pirates just need to record one more win from their final two fixtures to be guaranteed qualification from the group stages of the competition.