What Unimpressed Ouaddou Despite Pirates’ 3-0 CAFCL Victory

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou expressed mixed feelings after his side’s 3-0 win over Lioli FC in their CAF Champions League qualifier. 

While he wasn't entirely happy with the overall performance, he was particularly pleased with the team's significant improvement in the second half.

The first half of the match at Toyota Stadium saw the Buccaneers frustrated by the resilient Lesotho Premier League champions. Lioli FC's strong defense kept the score level at 0-0 until the break.

The second half, however, was a different story. The breakthrough came from striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, who scored twice to give Pirates a comfortable lead. 

The final goal was a spectacular strike from Oswin Appollis, set up by a well-timed pass from substitute Tshepang Moremi, who helped turn the tide of the match.

‘I CAN’T BE 100% SATISFIED’

“No I don’t think like that [being one foot into the next round], as long as we haven’t finished the second leg [yet],” Ouaddou said after the 3-0 win via SABC Sport.

“We did a good game, we respected the plan, we have respected the plan, congratulations to the boys but it’s still only the first half and I can’t be 100% satisfied, because I still think we could have score more goals.

“Especially in the first half, we never found the space to go forward or behind their back-four because of the tactics of the opponent, they played well as well – but I’m happy for the second half as we made changes and brought in some speed on the [wings]. We tried to stretch them to find some space…”

WHY OUADDOU WAS NOT HAPPY WITH FIRST HALF

He added, “We thought in the first half our midfielders were a bit far from Mabasa and it’s a guy that needs players close to him to [provide service] so we decided to bring somebody close to him, to play forward, to pass forward, as we did against Stellenbosch, we brought Moremi in to bring service into the box.”

“It’s good for the guys, I’m happy… we’re going to rest now because we have an important game in the league now. I would like to thank our fans, everywhere we go they are fantastic, our 12th man, the boys need them and we expect them also to pack the stadium at home in the second leg.”

While he wasn't entirely happy with the overall performance, he was particularly pleased with the team's significant improvement in the second half.

The first half of the match at Toyota Stadium saw the Buccaneers frustrated by the resilient Lesotho Premier League champions. Lioli FC's strong defense kept the score level at 0-0 until the break.

The second half, however, was a different story. The breakthrough came from striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, who scored twice to give Pirates a comfortable lead. 

The final goal was a spectacular strike from Oswin Appollis, set up by a well-timed pass from substitute Tshepang Moremi, who helped turn the tide of the match.