Bonginkosi Dlamini of Polokwane City late equaliser nearly derailed Orlando Pirates' Betway Premiership campaign on Wednesday night. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: Backpagepix
Orlando Pirates’ coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has reached out to his troops, particularly the attackers, to fire from all angles if they are to maintain their lead in the Betway Premiership title race until the end of the season.
Pirates currently lead the league standings with 44 points due to a superior difference ahead of the second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns after the 19th round of matches. The Sea Robbers should have steered themselves to calmer waters, and a little more breathing space between them and Sundowns, but they stumbled against Polokwane City, after beating them only 2-1, whereas they had ample opportunities to win comfortably.
Pirates’ sloppiness up-front nearly came back to haunt them as Bonginkosi Dlamini cancelled out Relebohile Mofokeng’s lead in the 86th minute, only for substitute Patrick Maswanganyi to ensure that they returned to Johannesburg on Thursday morning with all three points.
Speaking during his post-match media duties at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Ouaddou urged his troops to bring their scoring boots to every game going forward.
“I think if we want to be more ambitious, we definitely need to be more clinical in the final third,” Ouaddou said. “But let’s congratulate the boys, they showed a lot of character in that game. We’ll go back and prepare for the next game.”
Granted, Ouaddou was pleased with the result, but not the slippery pitch conditions. It was a muddy affair after a rainy evening, and the Moroccan charged that things could have turned sour for both teams.
“I am disappointed that we didn’t play at the nearby stadium, which is fantastic,” Ouaddou said. “The PSL is the best league in Africa, so I think when we play such crucial matches we need to put players in the best conditions.
“Today, the pitch didn’t allow us to play our style. We could have sustained injuries as well, and I think that’s not ideal for football, and giving the fans a proper spectacle.”