Ouaddou hails ‘top performance’ as Orlando Pirates edge Las Palmas in pre-season test

Abdeslam Ouaddou praised Orlando Pirates’ defensive resolve and the impact of their young players after a late Boitumelo Radiopane goal secured a 1-0 pre-season win over Las Palmas.

The Orlando Pirates head coach saw his side claim victory in the fourth match of their current training camp, with the team’s record now standing at two wins, one draw and one defeat.

Radiopane came off the bench to score the decisive goal in the closing stages, rewarding a display that Ouaddou felt showed clear improvement in areas that had troubled Pirates earlier in pre-season.

Clean sheet a key target

Ouaddou underlined that shutting out Las Palmas had been a major objective, with Pirates having conceded in each of their previous three games.

“The players have been over 60 minutes, we pushed them for 90 minutes and I’m very happy about the performance,” Ouaddou told SuperSport.

“The objective today was, of course, to create chances, and not to concede a goal, because we’ve been conceding goals since the beginning.

“And what I said to the boys, we need to find back our strength because it’s what makes the strength of Orlando Pirates.”

The coach highlighted the team’s defensive discipline and organisation as signs that Pirates are rediscovering the resilience he believes should underpin their play.

Al Ittihad draw still on Ouaddou’s mind

Ouaddou also reflected on the previous outing of the camp, a high-scoring 3-3 draw against Al Ittihad, which he felt could have ended differently.

“So yesterday, again, yesterday, I think I was very happy about the performance against Al Ittihad. Indeed, it was a 3-3 because we have scored one goal that the referee refused.

“It was not a handball, it was a chest from Tito. So, yeah, overall, I’m very happy about the preparation of the boys and today was a top performance. We gave the opportunity for some young as well today, I’m very happy. It was the most important.”

The coach suggested his side had done enough not to lose that game and hinted at a sense of injustice over the disallowed effort.

Youngsters impress as camp nears conclusion

Ouaddou revealed that the line-up used against Las Palmas was the youngest he has fielded during this camp, and he was encouraged by how they coped with the challenge.

“This team is the most youngest team that I could have put during this camp. And they really responded very well in terms of aggressiveness, in terms of organisation, tactically. Tactically, they were very clever.

“So I think Orlando Pirates have a bright future with these young players. We still have one game, a tough one again. And I think it will be a revenge for us because, to be honest, my team didn’t deserve to lose yesterday.

“And the next game against Neom will be a revenge for us. And I will be happy if we can finish this camp with a victory.”

Pirates will round off their stay on the coast with one final fixture on Friday, when they face Saudi side NEOM as they continue preparations for the new Betway Premiership season.