No rest for Ouaddou’s best ahead of semi-final

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Aug 21, 2025. 15:00

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admitted he could not afford to rest his starting stars against Stellenbosch on Tuesday ahead of his side’s MTN8 semi-final second leg against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

The Buccaneers claimed their first win of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership campaign with a 1-0 win over Stellies at Orlando Stadium and advanced to 11th place on the standings courtesy of a sumptuous strike from Kamogelo Sebelebele.

“In the position that we had, of course you have to think of priorities. Our priority today is to take three points and to at least start to open the season. Of course, you can imagine that we have a very important game [on Saturday] but in football sometimes there are some priorities. We were not in the position that we can afford to fit to the next game because today was very important to win and to start our season,” said Ouaddou, speaking after the game.

Ouaddou was full of praise for Stellies and their coach Steve Barker following the fixture. The 46-year-old has now faced The Maroons with three different clubs – AS Vita from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Marumo Gallants and now Pirates. Tuesday’s result was his first win against the Cape-based outfit.

“It’s a very good team. I have a lot of respect for that team, for the coach as well. He’s doing a fantastic job since many years. We know that it was a dangerous team. We didn’t win against that team for two or three years. We succeeded in this plan. The players managed to do what we expected from them. Of course, we are happy,” he said.

He was equally as impressed with Sebelebele, who has netted in each of his last two games for the Buccaneers, handing them the win over Stellenbosch and securing a draw in the first leg of their encounter against Sundowns.

“He’s just a fantastic player, well-educated player, professional, very humble. I think I don’t have so much to tell him. He knows his job. He knows what to do. In football, I always say to my players, humility is one of the very important qualities for a professional football player because as long as you stop learning, you stop improving. He’s the type of guy who is working hard every day since now six weeks. He doesn’t complain. You see, I put him on the right back, I put him on the winger. He’s always giving his best. He’s the type of player that we want to have in the team and he did a fantastic job.”

Ouaddou’s side will look to carry the momentum into their clash against Sundowns on Saturday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville. Should they win, Pirates could set up a final against Stellenbosch which would be a repeat of last year’s MTN8 final which saw the Buccaneers claim the title for a fourth successive year.

By Nic Gleeson