Mthombeni: Ouaddou’s Changes Cost Pirates
Casric Stars coach Bucs Mthombeni believes his side’s famous Nedbank Cup victory was sparked by tactical mistakes from Orlando Pirates mentor Abdeslam Ouaddou.
The Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit produced one of the competition’s biggest upsets, holding the Buccaneers to a goalless draw over 120 minutes in the round of 16 before winning 5-4 on penalties, at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.
It is a result that marked the second time the Soweto giants were eliminated by lower-division opposition following their 2013 defeat to Maluti FET College.
Mthombeni revealed that the match turned in his favour in the final stages when Pirates altered their line-up and withdrew key attacking threats, a move that gave his team confidence to push the game towards penalties.
“After 73 minutes,, I saw we can win this game because of something I picked up,” Mthombeni said.
“Pirates took out the players that were a threat to us, like (Deon) Hotto and Tito (Patrick Maswanganyi). They brought in players that we can match, and (Tshepang) Moremi was losing patience, and when they brought in (Kamogelo) Sebelebele I knew they would come with speed.
“I told the boys that we need to just stick to the game, and in football, players can give you 60 minutes.
“I also told my players that the same Pirates that played on Wednesday (against Mamelodi Sundowns) took a lot of power from them, and they introduced (Oswin) Appollis, whom I told my boys not to allow to have the ball.
“I made one decision that let’s rather go to penalties, and I even told the goalkeeper (Wandile Mthombeni) to slow down the game. I knew that penalties are a lotto and we said we must keep a clean sheet.”
The victory was emotionally complex for the 45-year-old coach, who addressed long-standing suggestions about his personal connection to Pirates, a club widely supported by his family.
“My late mom was a number one Pirates fan, then my uncle, the late Moses Mahlangu, was very close to Jomo Sono. He was a Pirates fan and recruited most of my family to support Pirates – I was the only neutral one,” he added.
“I wanted to pursue a dream of coaching, and I stayed neutral. My son, the goalkeeper (Wandile Mthombeni), who kept a clean sheet, is a Pirates fan, and my other son, Mlondi, is also a Pirates fan, and they are recruiting everyone in the family, too.
“What made me more excited is winning for the boys, because at home it’s just my wife and I who are neutral, but everyone else is a Pirates. The players had some doubt about him (Wandile Mthombeni) starting in goals; they asked if he was sure he would give it his all.
“I said, ‘he signed a contract – if he can’t commit himself here, I think his job will be on the line.’ Of course, I was joking, but even my younger brother didn’t come to the stadium because he didn’t know where he would stand as a Pirates supporter.
“I think he watched it on TV at home. Most of the family supports Pirates, but I respect the Chairman (Dr. Irvin Khoza) here – tough luck.”
Casric Stars will now shift their focus back to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, where they face The Bees at home on Friday as they continue their push for promotion, currently occupying fourth place with 31 points from 18 matches.
