Sebelebele urges Orlando Pirates response after pre-season defeat to Saudi side NEOM SC

Orlando Pirates utility player Kamogelo Sebelebele says the squad must raise their standards and cut out errors after closing their pre-season tour of Spain with a 1-0 defeat by Saudi Pro League club NEOM SC.

The South African champions suffered a second loss on their European trip at the Marbella Football Center on Friday night, having also gone down 3-2 to Saudi giants Al Ittihad SC earlier on the tour.

NEOM SC secured victory thanks to a first-half free-kick from Said Benrahma, whose 31st-minute strike at Sipho Chaine’s near post settled a tight contest.

The result means Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side finished their European preparations with two wins, two defeats and one draw.

Sebelebele: ‘We will fix it at training’

Back in South Africa, Bafana Bafana winger Sebelebele underlined that Pirates are focused on correcting the faults exposed in Spain before competitive action begins.

“It’s not the results we wanted,” he told the club’s media.

“But we will fix it [mistakes] at training and improve on our mistakes.”

Sebelebele, deployed as both winger and defender during the tour, stressed that the performances rather than the scorelines will be the main focus in the coming days as the squad tune up for the domestic campaign.

Pirates preparing to defend league title

Orlando Pirates, who lifted the Betway Premiership title last season, will open the defence of their crown against newly promoted Milford FC on Saturday, 1 August, at Orlando Amstel Arena.

The fixture will be their first competitive outing since returning from Europe and follows a pre-season schedule designed to test the squad against different styles and intensities.

Facing two Saudi Pro League opponents in NEOM SC and Al Ittihad SC provided contrasting challenges, but both matches ended in narrow defeats for the Buccaneers, underlining the fine margins at this stage of preparation.

Coaching staff and players now have a limited window to work on defensive organisation and attacking cohesion before Milford FC’s top-flight debut, with Sebelebele’s comments reflecting a determination within the camp to respond quickly.

Tour offers mixed picture ahead of new season

While the European tour produced a balanced record of two victories, two losses and one draw for Ouaddou’s team, the final game against NEOM SC highlighted areas still requiring refinement.

Benrahma’s decisive free-kick, catching Chaine out at his near post, exemplified the kind of lapse Pirates are intent on eradicating as they transition from pre-season experimentation to the demands of competitive football.

With expectations high on the defending champions to start strongly in the Betway Premiership, Sebelebele’s call for improvement underlines the urgency inside the dressing room as focus turns from Spain to Orlando Amstel Arena and the visit of Milford FC.