Pirates’ Ouaddou explains Appollis omission in MTN8 final

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou explained his omission of Oswin Appollis from the starting lineup in the MTN8 final, which they lost 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns. Appollis, who had recently been in impressive form for both Pirates and Bafana Bafana, was benched despite his stellar performance with the national team in recent matches.

Ouaddou defended his decision, stating that Appollis is one of the best players in the country and in their team, but that he needed to consider the strategy for the second half. He also mentioned that this approach worked for him last year, when Appollis came off the bench to assist two goals in extra time in a 3-0 win. The loss to Sundowns meant Pirates failed to win a fifth consecutive MTN8 title, and Ouaddou pointed to Gamphani Lungu's second-half penalty, saved by Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, as the match's turning point.

He also criticized his team's slow start, which saw Sundowns take the lead from a set piece. However, Ouaddou believed that the momentum of the game was the penalty, and that if his side had managed to equalize, the outcome could have been different.