Abdeslam Ouaddou urged Pirates to quickly forget about this past weekend’s disappointment.
Orlando Pirates, having been knocked out of the CAF Champions League, will be eager to deliver a quick response when they face Magesi FC on Tuesday evening.
The Buccaneers will meet Dikwena tša Meetse in a Carling Knockout Cup quarterfinal match at the Orlando Stadium (kickoff is at 7pm).
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Saint-Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo knocked Pirates out of the CAF Champions League after defeating them on penalties in the second preliminary round.
After suffering a 3-0 defeat in the first leg away in Lubumbashi, the Buccaneers produced a spirited fightback at home at the Orlando Stadium this past Saturday, winning the second leg 3-0 to level the tie before ultimately falling short in the penalty shootout.
Yanela Mbuthuma missed the final kick as Lupopo held their nerve to advance to the group stages of the competition.
Following the disappointing end to the CAF Champions League journey, Pirates must quickly regroup as they turn their attention to the Carling Knockout, where they face Magesi, the defending champions of the competition.
‘No time to be disappointed’
Speaking after his side’s loss to Lupopo, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou urged his charges to quickly forget about this past weekend’s disappointment and focus on the “important” clash against Magesi.
“We have such an important competition [the Carling Knockout] coming up, so we don’t have time to be disappointed; we have to get over the disappointment quickly because we have objectives coming up soon,” said Ouaddou during the post-match press conference in Orlando.
Ouaddou added that he understood the fans’ disappointment in them [for not reaching the next round of the CAF Champions League], but urged them to keep their trust and confidence in the team.
“I think, of course, when you’re supporting Orlando Pirates and you love the club, you obviously have a lot of expectations from the fans, they can be disappointed, of course,” he said.
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“But at the same time, I think, if they have seen how the boys were fighting from the first minute and how they dealt with the game and the football they played, I think they can have some trust and confidence in the future of this team.
“Of course, I can understand the disappointment because everybody wanted to go through, we did our best, and the best team didn’t go through in this stage,” concluded Ouaddou.
