Orlando Pirates look to 'derby logic' for redemption after shock Nedbank Cup exit

Orlando Pirates staff members with institutional memory will have a crucial role to play this week as the Buccaneers prepare for Saturday’s Soweto Derby against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs.

Pirates’ dreams of a clean sweep of domestic titles went up in smoke courtesy of Saturday evening’s 5-4 penalty shoot-out defeat to Motsepe Foundation Championship side Casric Stars. It was the club’s second defeat in four days, a failing that is sure to leave morale and confidence low in the camp.

With the big clash against Chiefs looming for a team led by a coach with no Soweto Derby experience, those who have been around the Pirates block will do well to fill Abdeslam Ouaddou in on the history of this special fixture.

The first thing they must make him aware of is that, historically, the team that goes into the derby on a low usually prevails. That should serve as motivation for a coach who took the losses to Mamelodi Sundowns in Wednesday's Betway Premiership clash and Saturday night’s exit from the Nedbank Cup on the chin.

Speaking after the loss to Casric, Ouaddou lamented his team’s failure to wrap the match up while they were in the ascendancy during the first half.

“It’s a big disappointment when you get out of a competition you were focusing on,” the Moroccan sighed. “And it was important for the players and the fans that Pirates went all the way.

"We started the game like we wanted to. We wanted to suffocate them quickly in the first half to create chances, and we created valuable chances.

"Unfortunately, it was the same story as some previous games. It is important to be efficient, and when you miss such chances in the first half, you give confidence to the opponent. I think they defended well.”

Not even his efforts to change things after the break could bear fruit, leaving the former Fulham defender a frustrated man.

“We tried to bring some more creativity in the second half in order to unbalance the opponents,” he said, referring to the personnel changes he made. “We created some chances, but for me, we could have finished the game earlier.”

Pirates missed three of their seven kicks as the shoot-out went into sudden death, with skipper Nkosinathi Sibisi, Mpho Chabatasane and Nkosikhona Ndaba all missing the target, despite the club having practised them in the build-up to the tie.

“The penalties — we prepared for them in the week because it’s a probability in a knockout match — but we lost on penalties, and congratulations to Casric.”

Having won two competitions (the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout) already, Pirates can still complete a domestic treble by capturing the league title. But they will need to beat Chiefs at the weekend.

The good news for Ouaddou, which the seasoned staff at Pirates should remind him of, is that pre-match form goes out of the window when it comes to the Soweto Derby — with the ’struggling’ team often reigning victorious.

Matshelane Mamabolo is a veteran football reporter and currently senior contributor at Independent Media