La Cour Vagues and Orlando Pirates played out a goalless draw in the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League on Saturday. The match finished 0:0 at the home ground of the Caribbean side. Neither team managed to break through on the day.
And here's the thing about these qualifiers — they are often decided by three or four moments, and neither side produced one. Orlando Pirates came in with momentum, having won their last five outings in all competitions. La Cour Vagues showed vulnerability in their recent run with two losses among five games.
By then, the match settled into a pattern neither side could disrupt. To be fair, both defences held their shape and refused to go away when pressed. The game lacked the penetration expected at this level of competition.
La Cour Vagues had previously beaten Petites Rivieres Noirs 6:1 and Grand Riviere Sud-Est 2:0 before this tie. Orlando Pirates' recent record reads more consistently — four clean sheets in their last five matches across all competitions.
The draw brought both sides together without a winner. Orlando Pirates return to South Africa with nothing to lose in the second leg, while La Cour Vagues must now turn their home record into something tangible.