Pirates’ Ouaddou bemoans lack of control despite CKO win
'We are happy to go to the semifinals, but not like that,' said the Pirates head coach.
Orlando Pirates' head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou expressed satisfaction at reaching the Carling Black Label Knockout semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Sekhukhune United at the Orlando Amstel Arena. However, Ouaddou was critical of his team's inability to maintain control during the match, as Sekhukhune mounted a late comeback. This marks the Buccaneers' fourth consecutive win against Sekhukhune, a team they have not conceded a goal to so far this season.
Ouaddou acknowledged the challenge posed by Sekhukhune, who were highly aggressive and compact, making it difficult to create scoring opportunities. The coach praised the performance of 19-year-old Mpho Padime, who scored his first goal for Pirates and made the most of a fortunate bounce from a cross by Tshepang Moremi. Despite the win, Ouaddou emphasized the need for better control, stating that his team panicked unnecessarily and missed chances to seal the victory.
The coach also defended his decision to bench Bafana Bafana star Oswin Appollis, citing the player's risk of injury and the need to protect him for crucial games.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
