Horror first leg cost Pirates, says Jali

Andile Jali says the Orlando Pirates CAF Champions League elimination can be put down to their horror first-leg showing in Port Elizabeth.

The Buccaneers lost 3-1 to Recreativo De Libolo at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, meaning that despite Saturday’s credible 1-1 draw in Luanda, they exited the tournament in the preliminary stages.

Jali, who scored Orlando’s goal in Angola, says it was always going to be a difficult task to reverse the first leg deficit.

“We lost the game in Port Elizabeth, going to Angola, Libolo had a foot already at the door,” Jali told his club’s website.

“We knew we could beat them, but we were also aware that they were going to fight back. If they scored a goal, we had to score twice to level the terms and this was a major problem for us.”

Some Pirates’ players are expected to meet with club boss Irvin Khoza on Tuesday, having expressed unhappiness about coach Julio Leal’s training methods and team selection.