Orlando Pirates held to late draw by De Graafschap in Netherlands tour

Orlando Pirates’ reserve side were denied victory by a late De Graafschap equaliser as the Young Buccaneers were held to a 1-1 draw in their second match of the Netherlands tour.

The result came after Pirates suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat by SBV Vitesse on Tuesday. They showed a much-improved performance in their second outing, creating several opportunities, but were unable to convert their early pressure into a goal.

Pirates began positively on Thursday and threatened the De Graafschap defence during the opening 10 minutes. Their first clear opportunity came after 15 minutes, when Mpho Padime stepped up to take a set-piece. His effort missed the target, however, with the score remaining level as the visiting side continued to apply pressure.

The Young Buccaneers continued to create openings after the midway point of the first half, but their finishing let them down. Despite producing chance after chance, Pirates could not find the decisive touch in front of goal.

De Graafschap created little during the early stages, although South African-born Michael Dokunmu came close to putting the hosts ahead five minutes before half-time. His shot went wide, registering what was De Graafschap’s second attempt on goal.

Pirates then went close again in the 42nd minute. Samukelo Zikalala beat his markers before striking a well-timed shot towards goal, but his effort hit the post and was subsequently saved by the goalkeeper.

The match produced less attacking action after the interval. According to the Asidlali channel, which provided live updates, De Graafschap looked the more dangerous of the two sides during the second half.

Pirates’ task became more difficult in the 80th minute when Siku Kubayi was shown a straight red card for unsporting conduct. The reserve side were consequently reduced to 10 players as they attempted to protect their unbeaten result in the match.

Despite being a player down, Pirates finally made the breakthrough six minutes later. Padime found the net in the 86th minute, giving the Young Buccaneers what appeared to be a winning advantage after a match in which they had struggled to turn their chances into goals.

That lead lasted only three minutes. De Graafschap responded with a late equaliser in the 89th minute, ending Pirates’ hopes of recovering from their defeat by SBV Vitesse with a victory.

The 1-1 draw leaves Orlando Pirates’ reserve side with one defeat and one draw from their opening two fixtures of the Netherlands tour. Their performance against De Graafschap represented a marked improvement from Tuesday’s heavy loss, although the late concession meant they had to settle for a share of the points.