As Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou planted kisses on the foreheads of his charges at fulltime on the weekend, it has been revealed why he was the most relieved man after beating Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ouaddou has had a challenging start to his time in the Pirates dugout, dropping six points against Sekhukhune United and Marumo Gallants in his first two league games in charge.
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However, the former AS Vita tactician demonstrated his tactical acumen when he outsmarted his Sundowns counterpart Miguel Cardoso at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday, as Bucs beat the home side 4-1 on penalties in the MTN8 semi-finals after a 2-2 draw on aggregate.
"That was a very tense game. You could see that the Pirates coach was a relieved man after the win," admits Tlou Segolela, the former Pirates winger.
"That alone shows you that Pirates is a big institution. Coaching Pirates requires great effort. As Pirates coach, your job is never safe. The expectations from the supporters are big.
"Ouaddou understands that Pirates have been winning trophies over the last three seasons, and now the supporters want either the league title or the Champions League.
"We need to applaud the Pirates players for the mentality they showed on Saturday,” added the erstwhile speed merchant, before revealing what ultimately secured Ezimnyama Ngenkani the result.
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“The difference between them and Sundowns was that Pirates wanted it more.
"Players like (Kamogelo) Sebelebele want to demonstrate to the world what they are capable of. As for Sundowns, I believe they have reached the ceiling. It's something that can happen to any team in the world.
“It's football."
Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images