“We Start To Smell It”: Ouaddou Inspired by Junior Bucs As Pirates Chase Historic Double
As the Orlando Pirates reserve side celebrated their maiden DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) title, senior head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admitted the first team is starting to “smell” a Betway Premiership triumph of their own.
Earlier on Saturday, the Buccaneers’ reserves, led by Roscoe Krieling, dismantled Mamelodi Sundowns at Dobsonville Stadium to clinch the DDC title and set a new league points record.
The senior side duly followed suit, maintaining their title charge with a clinical 3-0 victory over Magesi FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The win propelled Pirates to a club-record 65 points in the PSL era. They currently sit just three points behind Mamelodi Sundowns (68 points), but crucially, the Buccaneers hold a game in hand. If Pirates win their remaining two fixtures, they could clinch their first league title since the 2011/12 season.
The pressure on Ouaddou’s men was immense after Sundowns momentarily extended their lead to six points following a chaotic 7-4 win over Siwelele just hours earlier. However, the Soweto giants refused to flinch.
“I think we are very proud of them today,” said Ouaddou on SuperSport TV.
“But I think it is part of the club’s process. This Orlando Pirates project is being managed by fantastic people who understand football.
“I’m not surprised by the DDC title. Let’s hope and pray that we can follow their path. We still have two games left, and definitely we want to make our fans happy.
“After 14 or 15 years without a league title, I think we can start to smell it — we are getting close. But we still cannot touch the trophy yet. We still have two matches remaining, and we will see what happens. Credit must also go to these fantastic fans who continue to support us. We are going to fight for them until the very end.”
The permutations are clear: if both Sundowns and Pirates win their remaining matches, both will finish on 71 points. In that scenario, the Betway Premiership title will be decided by goal difference—a tie-breaker that looks set to provide one of the most dramatic finishes in South African football history.
