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Cape Town - Orlando Pirates were thumped 4-1 by Zamalek in their Confederation Cup Group B match at Stade Petro Sport Stadium in Cairo on Sunday night.
Goals by Ahmed Tawfik, Ahmed Hassan Mekki, Moustafa Fathi and Mahmoud Kahraba were enough to hand Zamalek victory.
The win took the hosts to top spot in the group, leaving the South Africans occupying second spot.
It means Zamalek avoid facing their bitter rivals Al Ahly in the semi-finals. Instead they will face Tunisia's Etoile du Sahel, while Pirates will clash with Ahly.
The semi-finals will be played over two legs in late September and early October.
The visitors took the game to the hosts but the Egyptians were solid at the back and they took the lead through Tawfik in the 13th minute.
Both sides tried to move forward in search of goals but it was the visitors who bagged an equaliser when Thamasanqa Gabuza found skipper Oupa Manyisa who finished with ease to make it 1-1.
Five minutes later, Mekki made it two after completing a great move by the hosts, giving the White Knights a 2-1 half-time lead.
In the second stanza Pirates started brightly and went in search of a goal, but it was Zamalek who managed to find the back of the net through Fathi making it 3-1.
Eric Tinkler’s men tried to push ahead to find goals but Manyisa and Thandani Ntshumayelo saw their efforts come to nothing.
Then tragedy struck for the visitors when Kahraba made it 4-1 to give Zamalek top spot in Group B with 15 points.
