Ahly lose 1-0 to Orlando Pirates in Johannesburg

Ahly’s worst fears of finishing a season empty handed for the first time in a decade could be realised after another poor showing saw them lose 1-0 to Orlando Pirates in Johannesburg in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup semi final on Saturday.

Thamsanqa Gabuza made the most of some poor marking from central defender Mohamed Naguib to notch what proved to be the winner after eight minutes, compounding the troubles of a side which was hoping to recover from a 2-0 loss to Cairo rivals Zamalek in the Egypt Cup final last week.

Ahly, who lost the league and cup to bitter foes Zamalek, will still have a chance to overturn the narrow deficit and continue their bid towards a second straight Confederation Cup title when they host Pirates in the second leg next week.