Orlando Pirates secured a slender advantage in their MTN8 semi-final tie against Sekhukhune United after beating Babina Noko 1-0 in the first leg at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday afternoon.
Deon Hotto’s first-half strike proved decisive as the Buccaneers defended their lead with discipline and fighting spirit to leave Polokwane with a valuable away victory ahead of next weekend’s decisive second leg at the Orlando Amstel Arena.
Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admitted that the match was always expected to be difficult, given the history between the two sides, but praised his players for executing the plan.
We knew that it would be a difficult game. The history of games against Sekhukhune has always been difficult,” Ouaddou said.
“In the first half, we had some difficulties to break this compact block, but I think we managed to use the weaknesses of that team. The target was to come with a result. I think it’s a thing that the boys did.”
The Buccaneers gradually grew into the contest after a cagey opening before breaking the deadlock in the 43rd minute. Ghampani Lungu’s clever flick released Hotto down the left side of the penalty area, with the Namibian producing a powerful finish into the top corner.
Pirates then focused on protecting their advantage, with Ouaddou particularly pleased with the defensive discipline shown by his players.
We scored and after, we tried to keep this result with discipline, with fighting spirit. Really, even if we can think that it was not so beautiful football, for me, it was the game that we expected,” he said.
“We scored, we didn’t concede, and now we will think about the second half. So well done for the boys, for the discipline, and for the fighting spirit today.”
Sekhukhune pushed for an equaliser after the break, with substitute Thabo Nkwana coming close in the 58th minute when his low effort bobbled in front of Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine before going narrowly wide.
Pirates also had opportunities to extend their lead, but ultimately had to settle for the one-goal advantage.
Ouaddou also explained some of his selection decisions, including the decision to protect winger Tshepang Moremi after he picked up a knock in the previous match.
For Mako, you know that he got a knock in the last game, so we wanted to protect him. I hope to have him for the next game,” he said.
The Pirates coach also provided an assessment of new signing Sebastian Pedersen, who made his debut after being introduced in the second half.
Pedersen showed glimpses of his attacking qualities but appeared to tire as the match progressed, with Ouaddou saying the Norwegian still needs to improve his physical condition before he can fully showcase his abilities.
I think he came with a lot of aim to score. I think he got a chance to open his scoring account. He fought, he joined the fighting spirit of our team,” Ouaddou said.
“You can see really that he’s clever. He’s going into the space that we want to find him. His technical quality is very interesting. I am sure that he’s going to really help the team.”
However, the coach stressed that Pedersen’s integration would take time, particularly after moving to South Africa from Europe.
The PSL is a good level. There is speed, there is impact, organised teams. So yeah, I think the level is high, and I’m sure he will integrate quickly,” he said.
“But we have to help him to integrate quickly into the environment. It’s not easy when you come from 10,000 or 15,000 kilometres away to a new environment. For us, we have to really be cautious and create the right environment for him to express himself.”
Ouaddou also addressed the management of his squad as Pirates navigate a demanding schedule, with the two sides set to meet again in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday before the MTN8 second leg on August 29.
The coach made it clear that the experimentation phase from pre-season is over.
I tried many combinations during our preparation in Spain. So I think it’s not the time to try now. We are in the competition, and we play the players that are available, that we think can bring us something to the team,” he said.
“The time of experimentation is finished. Now we are in the business.”
One of the biggest considerations for Pirates is managing the workload of their international players, particularly Oswin Appollis, who Ouaddou described as one of the club’s key players.
When you have a diamond in your house, you have to protect him. Oswin is Oswin, you know him. Even if he’s at 50% or 40%, he can score at any moment,” Ouaddou said.
The coach explained that the club’s performance, medical and technical departments were working together to ensure the Bafana International returned to full fitness while avoiding unnecessary injuries.
It’s my job to protect them. Sometimes the players don’t understand; they are not happy to go out. But it’s my duty to protect them,” he said.
“We don’t want to have more players injured, because the season will be very long.”
Ouaddou was also complimentary about the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium pitch but questioned whether a competition as prominent as the MTN8 should be played at larger venues.
Even if the pitch was small, I think the people who work on the pitch, we have to give them credit, because the pitch was in a good state to play football,” he said.
“Such a good competition that everybody in the country is watching, I think we must have big venues with a lot of influence for fans. I’m sure that if we have more places, we can definitely have a full stadium.”
With Pirates now holding a 1-0 advantage, Ouaddou knows the job is not yet complete and expects another difficult encounter in Soweto.
We will have time to think about that game, we will prepare it, but definitely in front of our fans in our arena with a bigger pitch, we hope definitely to qualify to the final,” he said.
“But it was only the first half.”
The two sides will first meet in a Betway Premiership fixture on Tuesday, August 25, before the MTN8 semi-final tie is decided at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, August 29.
The victory also extended Pirates’ unbeaten run in the MTN8 to 11 matches as they continue their pursuit of a fifth consecutive title.
Ouaddou also paid tribute to Hotto, who scored the winning goal against his former side, following his move away from Pirates.
“Deon was a fantastic player, sportingly and humanly. He gave a lot for the club. He won a lot of trophies, he gave joy to the fans, he gave joy to the club,” Ouaddou said.
“I was really proud to work with him, and I just want to wish him all the best for his next project.”
Despite the defeat, Sekhukhune head coach Cedric Kaze remained optimistic about his team’s chances of overturning the deficit in Soweto.
Kaze felt Babina Noko defended relatively well but lacked the conviction to attack effectively in the opening stages.
We started defensively relatively well, but we didn’t get the right intentions and convictions to go forward,” Kaze said.
The Sekhukhune coach was encouraged by his side’s improved approach after the break but felt they lacked composure in key attacking moments.
We tried to rectify it in the second half with better intentions, a better positive mindset going forward, but I would say that we lacked a little bit of composure in the final third to make the last pass, to make that run, to make the extra pass,” he said.
Kaze also acknowledged that his players needed to make better decisions when presented with opportunities.
The whole entire game, we need to do better in terms of chances created, and understand the flow of the game, decide better and go with more conviction and more belief,” he said.
“When you play these kind of games, players tend to rush, especially when they get into those situations. We hope to correct that for next week’s game.”
The one-goal deficit means Sekhukhune must win in Soweto to have a chance of reaching the MTN8 final, but Kaze believes the tie remains within their reach.
“It’s obviously a disadvantage going into the second leg, especially away, but if you want to win something, you have to go through those moments,” he said.“It’s up to us to come with a strong mindset, a strong belief that we can reverse the situation.”
Kaze also acknowledged the challenge presented by playing three matches against Pirates within a single week, with the league meeting coming before the MTN8 decider.
There are three games in one week. There are a lot of components that come into play, the physical side, the psychological side and one is a league game while another is the second leg of a semi-final,” he said.
“We need to make some adjustments, including rotation, because today was very hard. It was very hot, and I could see even the players were a little bit heavy.”
With the first leg now settled by a single goal, Pirates will head into Tuesday’s league encounter with the psychological advantage, while Sekhukhune will be looking to build momentum ahead of the decisive second leg.
The MTN8 semi-final remains finely poised, with 90 minutes still to play and a place in the final at stake.