Shomari Kapombe’s 68th minute penalty was the difference as Tanzania’s Simba SC edged out Orlando Pirates by a solitary goal in the first leg of their TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup quarter final tie in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

A full to capacity Benjamin Mkapa stadium came to full life when Kapombe slotted home the spotkick, handing Wekundu wa Msimbazi a slight advantage ahead of next weekend’s return tie in Johannesburg.

Simba dominated much of possession, pushed on by the noisy crowd, but chances were few and far in between. Kwame Peprah had a chance for Pirates with a shot deflected for a corner after a good mazy run into the area.

Simba’s best chance of the opening half fell on their Ghanaian import Bernard Morrison right at the break when he cut in from the right, unleashing a well taken shot that was saved by a fully-stretched Richard Ofori.

In the second half, Simba continued their dominance and had another opportunity in the 54th minute when Chris Mugalu found shooting space from distance, but the effort didn’t gather enough strength, Ofori making a comfortable save.

Ten minutes later though, Simba had a golden chance. The fleet-footed Morrison was brought down by Happy Jele inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot, the VAR confirming as much, awarding Simba a spot kick.

Right back Kapombe stepped up and made no mistake, scoring the opener with Ofori going the wrong way.

Pirates turned the tide on Simba after conceding and they pushed more, seeking to level the scores and most importantly grab an away goal. Substitute Fortune Makaringe came close, in both occasions forcing Aishi Manula to good saves at the near post.

Despite throwing everything at attack, Simba managed to stay calm and guard the slim lead, taking it to the return fixture.