Pyramids coach Krunoslav Jurčić believes that if his team can replicate their first-leg performance against Orlando Pirates in the CAF Champions League semi-final next Friday, they stand a good chance of reaching the final.

The Egyptian side put Pirates under significant pressure in the first leg, which concluded in a goalless draw at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Pyramids, who are in the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time, also had two goals correctly disallowed following VAR reviews.

Their key striker, Fiston Mayele, also squandered a golden opportunity to put his team ahead with a header in the second half, directing it wide when he should have found the target.

These two teams are scheduled to meet for the second leg on Friday at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium.

The winner of this encounter will face the victor of the other semi-final between Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly, which also ended in a goalless draw at Loftus Stadium earlier on Saturday.

“I haven’t started thinking about the second leg yet,” Jurčić said after Saturday’s game.

“But we can improve by converting the chances we created, and we are capable of scoring goals. These are the hallmarks of big teams.

“I think we can improve in that aspect. If we can repeat a performance like we did on Saturday, I believe we have a strong chance of reaching the final.”

The former Sampdoria midfielder reiterated his belief that the two goals they scored, which were subsequently disallowed by VAR, should have stood. He added that his extensive experience in football made the explanation he received difficult to accept, particularly regarding Mayele’s first disallowed goal.

Jurčić, who played as a defensive midfielder, was part of the Croatian national team that won the bronze medal at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, defeating the Netherlands in the third-place playoff, before retiring in 2002.

“I was a player, and I have 40 years of experience in football,” the Bosnia and Herzegovina-born coach stated.

“I don’t need TV replays, I don’t need a camera, I don’t need the explanation. The explanation for the first goal, phew, really, really tough explanation.

“But I will repeat one more time, perhaps it’s not the right moment to talk about the referees. I think my players deserve that we should be speaking about them.”