Pirates’ Champions League exit a blessing in disguise?

Orlando Pirates’ painful exit from the competition could be a blessing in disguise for the Buccaneers.

Pirates were knocked out of the CAF Champions League after losing on penalties to Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the DR Congo this past weekend. Yanela Mbuthuma missed the final kick as Lupopo held their nerve to advance to the group stages of the competition.

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As painful as it was to lose the game on penalties after coming back from what looked like an impossible 3-0 deficit to force the game into the penalty shootout, the Pirates faithful must look at the positives from this disappointing loss.

One of the positives is that the Pirates players showed a lot of resilience and maturity as a result. After being subjected to unfair treatment in Lubumbashi and losing 3-0 in the first leg, they won 3-0 at home, forcing the game into a penalty shootout. This showed that the players are hungry for success this season.

Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou will need this never-say-die attitude from his charges if they are to claim titles on the domestic front. Having successfully defended their MTN8 title, the Buccaneers still have the Carling Knockout, the Nedbank Cup, and the Betway Premiership titles to play for this season.

Another positive from their CAF Champions League loss is that the early exit gives them a chance to finally end Mamelodi Sundowns’ dominance in the league. I mean, with no CAF football to worry about, Ouaddou has no excuse not to win the Betway Premiership this season.

Pirates are currently second on the log with 18 points after eight games, trailing log leaders Sundowns by only three points, but they have two games in hand over the Brazilians. This is a perfect opportunity to topple the Brazilians and go all the way to win the league title.

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Also, with Sundowns set to continue their continental football journey after sweeping aside Remo Stars of Nigeria in the second preliminary round and reaching the group stages of the CAF Champions League, this presents Ouaddou and his charges with a chance to end their long drought insofar as winning the league title is concerned. Pirates last won the league title back in the 2011/12 season.