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ORLANDO PIRATES 1-1 AL AHLY 
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Commentary by Sport24 freelancer, Carlo Petersen
22:30 - PICTURE:
Oh Joy! Orlando Pirates fans go bananas after Matlaba scored the equaliser in extra-time to seal a 1-1 draw in the 1st leg of the African Champions League final at Orlando Stadium in South Africa.
22:27 - That's it folks! Full-time score 1-1.
22:23 - Well done Pirates! The South Africans showed some excellent character tonight and kept fighting to the end. Not the greatest result, but it sets up a mouth-watering 2nd leg in Egypt next weekend.
22:21 - Well-deserved goal there from the Bucs. Matlaba pulls the trigger and finds the bottom right corner to beat Ekramy and score a vital goal in the dying minutes of this 1st leg of the African Champions League Final.
22:21 - Pirates score!!
22:20 - GOAL!!!
22:18 - Four minutes of extra time added. Ninety minutes are up. Desperate times for the home team...
22:14 - De Sa looking worried with just over 4 minutes to go. Pirates need to score at least one goal here to help them in the second leg. All this pressure and nothing to show. All credit to the visitors.
22:13 - TWEET:
'They are on the ropes. Come on Pirates. But careful at the back. Don't be caught.' - @PeterLaduma
22:09 - Abou-Treika goes off now to be replaced by Mustafa and Pirates make their second change. Lennox Bacela goes off and Collins Mbesuma.
22:07 - The resultant free-kick is deflected off the wall for a corner... which doesn't really bother the Pirates defence.
22:05 - Al Ahly with a chance to increase their away goals now as the ref blows for a free-kick just outside the box on the left. Jele yellow-carded.
22:04 - Sub: Myeni is off. Makola enters the playing-field for Pirates.
22:02 - Pressured build up by Pirates sees Bacela try with an effort on goal. His shot from outside the box proves dismal though. Pirates need to try something different!
21:57 - Abou-Trieka gets another ball through in a dangerous area, but the shot by Soliman is deflected wide. Corner to the visitors comes to nil.
21:56 - De Sylva replaces Abdel-Zaher as Al Ahly make a substitution. Tick tock tick tock...
21:53 - Gomaa clears the ball after Jele whips in a wicked cross. Once again too strong through and the ball goes flying over the crossbar.
21:51 - Myeni is fouled and Pirates get a free-kick of which nothing comes. Still Pirates 0-1 Al Ahl.
21:49 - The noise at Orlando Stadium is definitely increasing as Pirates turn it up a notch. If they keep this up they simply have to score.
21:45 - Oooh! What a save there from Ekramy. Jali with the shot from just left outside the box. Pirates getting closer. Game has a real edge to it now!
21:43 - TWEET:
'Phantom offside but Pirates survive thanx to optical challenges from the assistant referee!! 0-1' - @robertmarawa
21:40 - Pirates with a chance now at the other end now but the ball over from the left scrapes passed everyone in the box. Wasted again!
21:39 - The visitors find a way through as Abou-Trika splits the Pirates defence with an inch-perfect pass, but the striker is judged to be offside. Wrongly so???
21:32 - Second-half is underway. Pirates get the ball rolling. It's now or never for the home side, who desperately need to score in this first-leg of the final.
21:27 - PICTURE:
On the mark: Mohamed Abou-Treika of Al Ahly celebrates his goal during the CAF
Champions League Final 1st Leg match between Orlando Pirates and Al Ahly at Orlando Stadium. (Gallo Images)
21:19 - It's half-time! Pirates with it all to do in the second-half.
21:18 - Pirates push on with Manyisa now who tries a shot from outside the box, but it goes way wide to the left and doesn't bother the keeper.
21:16 - Segolela gets behind the visitors' defence on the right and whips in a dangerous cross, but Ekramy does his job and holds onto the ball. Safe hands!
21:12 - Three minutes left and Pirates waste another set-piece on the left. The come back to Klate though, but his ball square is not accurate and the visitors clear easily.
21:11 - Pirates keep pushing forward, this time Mahamutsa tries a shot from just outside the box, but it goes wide of goal.
21:08 - PICTURE:
Airbourne ace: Ahmed Darwish of Al Ahly and Daine Klate of Pirates during the CAF Champions League Final 1st Leg at Orlando Stadium. (Gallo Images)
21:04 - The visitors get a chance to launch a quick counter-attack with Soliman, whose shot is fired but goes into the side-netting.
21:02 - More pressure for Pirates sees them awarded another corner. Wasted! They keep attacking though. No way through... yet.
20:59 - Klate gets a dangerous ball across from the left after getting the ball back from a corner. His cross proves too pacey yet again and the chance goes begging.
20:58 - Pirates still looking for a way through as the visitors soak up the pressure. No chances being taken by the Al Ahly defence. Class defending!
20:55 - TWEET:
#ACLfinal "Initially there were two options 1) Clear sheet 2) home win. Now only one is left HOME WIN." - @RodneyNjabulo
20:52 - Al Ahly's experience, composure doing them well here as Pirates keep attacking. Klate whips another ball over but it's too strong and causes no problems for the visitors.
20:50 - The crowd are really getting behind the home team after initially going silent after the goal. Pirates will need all the support they can get now after conceding at home.
20:49 - Almost an own goal there after Klate swings a dangerous cross into the area.
20:46 - Pirates were punished there for some slack defending. They will need to keep their chins up now, tighten-up and keep attacking the way they started.
20:44 - The visitors get the goal after an exquisite free-kick from Abou-Treika. What a goal!
20:44 - GOAL!!!
20:41 - This looks promising for Pirates so far. If they keep up the pace with this swift passing and creativity they should do very well against their formidable opponents here tonight.
20:39 - Quick movement and passing results in half a chance for Dane Klate, but the visitors' defence holds strong and manages to clear the danger.
20:36 - Some good touches and skill from the home side on the right. Bacela gets another chance but his half shot is stopped and falls to Segolela, who blasts the ball over. Good start from Bucs!
20:35 - Corner to the visitors comes to nothing as Pirates' defence head away to make the clearance.
20:33 - Heated start here to this final as both teams vie to gain t he upperhand early on. Looks like we set for a humdinger of a game!
20:30 - The visitors manage to get the ball into the middle third, attacking in Pirates' half, but the home side win the ball back and start an attack along the right. Bacela shoots but Ekramy gets down to make an easy save.
20:29 - The match is about to get underway at a jam-packed Orlando Stadium. The fans and players looked amped for this one! Al Ahly get the ball rolling!
20:23 - Eight minutes to go! Here are some comments from our Facebook Page:
'Black and White nothing else matters.' - Willem Nieman
'Ezimnyama ngenkani, obvious.' - Metsie Mngoma
'UP THE BUCS ORLANDO PIRATES.' - Lee-marco Pietersen
'Al ahly no hard feeling pirates but the pharoahs will get a draw or a win.' - Sineletu Peter Mpotyo
20:15 - Al Ahly came through on penalties against Coton Sport in the other semi-final, after both legs resulted in a 1-1 draw. They won the penalty shootout 7-6.
20:13 - Pirates beat Esperance de Tunis to reach the finals after Rooi Mahamutsa scored a solitary goal in Tunisia, forcing a 1-1 draw. Pirates advanced on the away goal rule after the first leg in South Africa ended 0-0.
20:12 - Pirates will have their work cut out for them tonight as Al Ahly are seven-time winners of the CAF Champions League.
20:10 - Pirates were crowned African champions in 1995. This will be the second time they appear in the final of Africa's premier club competition.
20:08 - Here are some pre-match facts ahead of this massive encounter: The last South African club to reach the final was Mamelodi Sundowns ,who were runners-up in the 2001 version, after Al Ahly beat them in the final.
20:06 - Good evening and welcome! There are 24 minutes to kick-off and the team line-ups are out. Check below to see who will be playing tonight.
15:46 - GET BEHIND THE BUCCANEERS!
14:01 - RAKING IN THE CASH
The winner of this year’s Champions League takes home a prize of $1.5 million, which at the prevailing exchange rate comes in at around R15 million.
It would be their biggest individual prize for any South African club, considerably more than Pirates’ biggest single prize money pay out to date when they won the league in 2012 and took home R10 million from sponsors Absa.
Victory in the Champions League means an invitation to the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco (December 11-21) - where the spoils are much more lucrative.
14:00 - 18 YEAR DROUGHT
Pirates are seeking a first continental triumph in 18 years, since they defeated ASEC Abidjan 3-2 on aggregate in the final of this same competition in 1995.
13:58 - PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
The match at the Orlando Stadium will be the third time the teams have met in this year’s competitions, with Pirates winning 3-0 in Gouna and holding Al Ahly to a 0-0 draw at home in the group stages.
TEAMS:
Orlando Pirates:
Al Ahly:
19:30 - Welcome to Sport24's LIVE scoring and interactive commentary on today's CAF Champions League final first leg match between Orlando Pirates and Al Ahly at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
