Radiopane goal can be turning point for Orlando Pirates, says Ouaddou

Velile Mnyandu 26 August 2026

Orlando Pirates coach Ouaddou hopes Mohau Radiopane’s goal in the 2-0 victory over Sekhukhune United will provide the forward with the confidence to build on his performance and establish himself in the team.

Radiopane scored one goal and created another as Pirates secured victory at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Tuesday night. The result moved them to the top of the Betway Premiership, while also giving them a clean sheet.

Ouaddou was pleased to see Radiopane return to the scoresheet and believes the player has the ability required to succeed at the highest level.

“The goal of Radiopane, I’m very happy for him, I hope it will give him trust and confidence because this boy has definitely what he needs, he has all the qualities to be successful,” Ouaddou said.

The coach also expressed hope that the result would mark the start of a productive spell for Radiopane, while acknowledging the contribution expected from Luthuli. He also indicated that Tshepang Moremi could return for the next match.

“I hope it will be the beginning for him, without forgetting Luthuli as well but I hope he’s going to help us. I think for me it’s important to rest ahead of the next game but I think Moremi will come back and try to really find the right way for the next game.”

Despite the victory, Ouaddou admitted that Pirates’ performance did not fully satisfy him. He felt the team struggled to control midfield and lacked variety in possession, leaving them too predictable for long periods.

The three points and the clean sheet were the main positives he took from the match, with the coach suggesting that the overall display was not one that would remain memorable.

“And I think it’s worrying for me because if we at least have a team that’s playing, they want to play some nice football, if you don’t have control of the middle it can be very difficult,” the coach added.

Pirates attempted to address the problem during the interval by making tactical changes. Ouaddou asked his defenders to operate closer to the midfielders and wanted his players to vary their runs more effectively.

“At the half time we tried to make some tactical adjustments, asking our defense to be a little bit closer to our midfielders. To diversify the runs as well, the problem is where we were predictable, there is no diversification in what we are doing.

“We all the time had the ball in the same way instead of changing the availability in that area. It was slightly better in the second half but to be honest I think it’s not a game that will stay in the memories. The only positive thing is these three points.”

Ouaddou will now hope the league leaders can recover before their next fixture, with Moremi potentially returning and Radiopane looking to build on a goal and an assist that helped Pirates claim a valuable win.