RS Berkane edged out Orlando Pirates 6-5 on post-match penalties to win their second CAF Confederation Cup title and continue the domination of Moroccan sides in the last five years in the competition.Thembinkosi Lorch went from hero to villain real quick, drawing Pirates level initially with minutes left to play to force the match to penalties, then missing his spot kick in the shootout.Happy Jele, Tshegofatso Mabasa, Thabang Monare, and Richard Ofori scored their spot kicks for Pirates but Thembinkosi Lorch saw his saved while Hamza El Moussaoui, Youssef Zghoudi, Ismail Mokadem, Issoufou Dayo, and Brahim El Bahraoui all scored theirs for Berkane.Youssef El Fahli gave RS Berkane the lead in the first half of extra time but Thembinkosi Lorch made it 1-1 with only three minutes to play in extra time to see the match decided on penalties.This time around, Janny Sikazwe showed exactly why he is among 36 referees heading to Qatar for the World Cup later this year with meticulous refereeing in the match.While RS Berkane staged a strong comeback against TP Mazembe to book a slot in the final, Orlando Pirates sailed through courtesy of their first leg win despite losing by a solitary goal in the return leg.GOAOAL, Alfahliiii ⚽️ #OPFCRSB [0-1] 🟠⚫️ #GoRSBGo#TotalEnergiesCAFCC #FinalUyo2022🏆 pic.twitter.com/wtAl6SrSZ3— RS Berkane (@RSBfootball) May 20, 2022 RS Berkane’s goalkeeper Hamiani Akbi was called to action in the opening stages of both first halves, and in both, he did well to deny Pirates and keep the scores level. Had Pirates been more clinical, they would have taken the lead in the first half but they were wasteful in the final third even after having much of the ball and beautiful build-up, and counterattacks when need be.Berkane’s custodian was arguably the best player on the pitch for his side, and perhaps overall, as he singlehandedly kept his side in the game, with saves as well as running down the clock.☠️ FT | @orlandopirates 0 – 0 @RSBfootball Nothing to separate these two sides as the contest heads into another 30 minutes of play.⚫⚪🔴⭐#Matchday#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/plZBcuJ62F— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) May 20, 2022 With three minutes left to play, Deon Hotto made a clever run down the left side of the attack but his low cross was turned out for a corner by Berkane defenders to deny his waiting teammates. It was just a continuation of his industrious self throughout the game.The matter could not be decided in regular time and headed to extra time after a barren draw.It took only seven minutes for RS Berkane to break the deadlock, Youssef El Fahli sending Richard Ofori the wrong way from the spot to give the Moroccan side the lead after consultation with the VAR for a foul on Ismail Mokadem by Thabang Monare.Berkane did not sit back to defend even after taking the lead as they attacked with the same intensity as Pirates with an aim of getting a second goal to seal the win.Thembinkosi Lorch however leveled matters for the South African side with three minutes left to play to force the game into post-match penalties with a feeble shot that looked more of a pass, and perhaps the easiest ball for Hamiani Akbi in the game.
