Orlando Pirates' surprising draw against Pyramids!

In a tense and suspenseful encounter, Orlando Pirates failed to beat Egypt's Pyramids in the first leg of their AFC Champions League semi-final on Saturday at the FNB Stadium. The result leaves the door open for both teams ahead of the return leg in Egypt.

Coach Jose Rivero decided to go with a more attacking line-up this time around, with Thabelo Zoki giving way to Patrick Maswangani in midfield, while Chigufatso Mapasa replaced Evidence Makgoba up front. The changes seemed to pay off early on, with Pirates dominating the first half.

The first half saw two golden chances for the hosts, the first of which came through Thalente Mabata, who received a ball outside the box and fired a powerful shot that was saved by goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shennawy. Ten minutes later, Maswangani's shot hit the outside of the post to deny Pyramids a goal.

Just before the end of the first half, Fitson Mayele almost opened the scoring for Pyramids after a defensive error by Mbekisile Mbokazi, but the goal was ruled out by the referee.

In the second half, Pyramids started to look better and created several dangerous chances. In the sixtieth minute, Dino van Rooyen made a brilliant save from Mustafa Fathi, and a minute later, Maile missed a header that could have changed the course of the game.

The last few minutes of the game saw controversy when Siddiq Ogwala thought he had scored the winner for Pyramids in the 85th minute, but the goal was ruled out for handball after a review by the referee. The game ended in a goalless draw, leaving everything to be decided in the second leg, which will be played at Pyramids' home ground in Egypt.