Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is pleased with the performance of his players and says that his goalkeeper Sipho Chaine really kept them in the match, while Relebohile Mofokeng is giving the team so much going forward.
Ouaddou was speaking after the Buccaneers reclaimed their position at the top of the Betway Premiership when they spanked AmaZulu 2-0 in front of their fans at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday night.
Chaine scooped his 10th clean sheet in 11 matches, and the dribbling wizard Mofokeng grabbed two goals.
As a result, Pirates overtook Mamelodi Sundowns from the number one position as the league reached the halfway mark.
The score misrepresented the game, and AmaZulu had reason to believe they deserved something.
Despite giving Pirates a strong challenge, Bucs appear to be gaining momentum in their pursuit of ending Sundowns’ dominance and winning the Premier Soccer League trophy.
After the match, Ouaddou concurred that Usuthu provided them with a challenging 90 minutes.
“They did not allow us to play our football, but in the second half, we made some slight tactical changes.
“We brought some players, but we lost control for about 25 minutes, but I am happy we could score the second goal,” said the coach on Supersport TV.
Chaine kept Bucs in the game
I think people believe our keeper, Chaine, did not have much to do, but in fact he made several good saves, especially towards the end of the game. This is what we ask from our keeper—he kept us in the game.
“He made a save, and afterwards he helped us to score; if it was not for him, maybe we were not going to get the second goal—so I give big credit to Sipho Chaine and all the players as well.
“We are now going to rest and focus on the cup tournament. Relebohile Mofokeng can play in many positions because he is very talented.
“He can play on the side, and he can play in the middle. Since we make him play in the middle, he is giving us assists, and he is also scoring goals. He’s in a good space mentally, and we have to keep him there,” he added.
Pirates’ next encounter is against TTM in the Nedbank Cup on Saturday, and after that, they will have a Valentine’s Day date with Marumo Gallants in the league at Orlando Amstel Arena.
Usuthu’s next match is against Polokwane City in the Ke Yona Cup in Limpopo on February 10.
