Sekhukhune United take positives despite three straight defeats by Orlando Pirates

Sekhukhune United assistant coach Paulus Masehe believes his side can draw encouragement from their three matches against Orlando Pirates in the space of seven days, despite losing every encounter.

Pirates completed a clean sweep over Sekhukhune with a 3-0 victory in the second leg of the MTN8 semi-final at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday. The result followed a 2-0 league win at the same stadium four days earlier, while Bucs had also claimed a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium the previous Saturday.

The run of results ended Sekhukhune’s involvement in the MTN8, but Masehe highlighted areas of improvement across the three games. He said his team had shown an ability to keep the ball, move through Orlando Pirates’ defensive structure and create opportunities.

“The aspect that I think we did well from the first match against Pirates in the first leg [of the MTN8] is how we controlled possession of the ball and how we penetrated them and created some chances although they weren’t that many,” Masehe explained.

According to Masehe, Sekhukhune were more productive in front of goal during the league meeting. He also felt their attacking performance improved again after the break in Saturday’s semi-final, even though Pirates ultimately won comfortably.

“In the league game we created a lot of chances … even today (Saturday) it was evident in the second half that we did much better. We created a lot of chances and we also had to take the risk of committing numbers forward.”

The greater attacking commitment left Sekhukhune exposed to the possibility of conceding further goals, but Masehe viewed it as a necessary response to the circumstances of the match. His comments focused on the opportunities his side created rather than the scoreline that completed Pirates’ three-match sequence of victories.

Thapelo Mokobodi, Ghampani Lungu and Kamogelo Sebelebele scored for the Sea Robbers in the 3-0 win. Their success also secured another appearance in the MTN8 final.

Orlando Pirates have now reached the MTN8 final five times in succession. They have won the competition in each of their previous four final appearances, meaning Bucs will be seeking a fifth consecutive MTN8 title when they contest the latest final.

For Sekhukhune, the three defeats came against the same opponent and across a tightly packed period of seven days: first in the MTN8 semi-final, then in the league and finally in the return semi-final fixture. Masehe nevertheless maintained that the performances contained positives, particularly in possession, chance creation and the team’s willingness to commit players forward when required.