Pirates end Spanish tour with narrow Neom defeat in Marbella

Orlando Pirates rounded off their pre-season tour of Spain with a 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabian side Neom SC at the Marbella Football Center on Friday night.

Algerian midfielder Said Benrahma scored the only goal of the club friendly midway through the first half, beating Sipho Chaine with a cleverly struck set-piece at the near post on 30 minutes.

The result brought an end to a mixed set of warm-up fixtures for the South African league champions, who again showed some of the uncertainty in possession that has characterised their preparations ahead of the new campaign.

Benrahma free-kick settles contest

Boitumelo Radiopane was handed a start after coming off the bench to score the winner against Las Palmas on Wednesday evening, while Orlando Pirates restored their regular starters who had been rested for that previous match.

Despite the return of a more familiar line-up, the Buccaneers were uneasy on the ball early on. That vulnerability almost cost them inside the opening 10 minutes when Thalente Mbatha was dispossessed close to his own penalty area, but Neom failed to capitalise on the mistake.

Neom did, however, make their dominance count just before the half-hour mark. From a set-piece situation, Benrahma opted to go directly for goal and his quick-thinking effort surprised Chaine at his near post to put the Saudi club ahead.

Orlando Pirates, often referred to as the Soweto giants, saw enough of the ball in the Neom half but struggled to turn possession into clear chances, and the opposition goalkeeper went largely untested in the first 45 minutes.

Radiopane misses chance before changes

After the break, Orlando Pirates started the second period with more purpose and fashioned a presentable opportunity 10 minutes into the half. The ball broke kindly to Radiopane inside the box, but the young forward steered his first-time shot wide of the upright, adding to his side’s frustration.

That miss was Radiopane’s final contribution of the evening. He was replaced on 68 minutes by Evidence Makgopa as coach Abdeslam Ouaddou looked to refresh his attack for the closing stages.

Ouaddou also introduced Sbangani Zulu, Camren Dansin and Abdoulaye Mariko in the final 20 minutes, making a series of substitutions in an attempt to inject energy and find a way back into the match.

No late breakthrough for Buccaneers

Despite the influx of fresh legs, Orlando Pirates were unable to fashion another clear-cut opening as Neom saw out the contest with relative comfort.

Neom offered little in terms of further attacking threat themselves after the interval, but Benrahma’s first-half strike ultimately proved sufficient, with the game ending 1-0 in favour of the Saudi outfit.

The defeat closed Orlando Pirates’ schedule of friendly fixtures in Spain, leaving Ouaddou and his staff to assess both the positives and persistent areas of concern from their pre-season tour before competitive action resumes.