Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has praised his team’s character and resilience after the Buccaneers secured a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Durban City in their MTN8 quarter-final at Orlando Stadium.
Pirates controlled much of the encounter but were unable to finish off their opponents in regulation time, eventually needing extra time to seal their place in the semi-finals.
Ouaddou acknowledged the difficulty of the contest, saying the nature of the MTN8 makes every match highly competitive.
“Look, first of all, we know that MTN8 cup matches are all the time difficult, and I think it’s the magic of this competition.
“Nobody will come here in Orlando Pirates and give you the game,” he said.
The Pirates coach felt his side made a strong start and created enough opportunities to win the game earlier, but poor finishing kept Durban City in contention.
“Of course, we started the game like what we wanted, putting the tempo, having control.
“I think we could’ve killed the game earlier before, but we missed some important big chances,” Ouaddou said.
The coach also revealed that the injury to captain Nkosinathi Sibisi at half-time disrupted the team’s balance and made the second half more challenging.
“I had to make some changes at half-time because Sibisi was injured. I think it created some imbalance in that area; we conceded a goal,” he explained.
Despite the setback, Ouaddou was impressed by the response of his players, particularly their determination to keep fighting until the final whistle.
“But what I liked is the braveness, character, personality of my team. We believed until the end and went into extra time,” he added.
Ouaddou also insisted that Pirates deserved their victory, despite being pushed all the way by a determined Durban City side.
“I think we could’ve killed the game before because Pirates really dominated that game,” he said.
Ghampani Lungu eventually emerged as the match-winner in extra time, while Thapelo Mokobodi and Simphiwe Masilela were also praised for their important contributions as Pirates kept their hopes of retaining the MTN8 title alive.
