Ouaddou Keeps Pirates Grounded After Reaching Summit
Orlando Pirates coach Abdelsam Ouaddou says his side may have climbed to the top of the Betway Premiership standings, but there is still a long way to go in their quest to win the league, with five months of football remaining.
Pirates moved to the summit after beating Durban City 2-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, taking their tally to 28 points from 12 matches—three points clear of Mamelodi Sundowns.
However, Sundowns, now second on the log, have an opportunity to reclaim first place when they visit Siwelele on Tuesday.
Should Sundowns win, Pirates will not have a chance to respond immediately as their fixture against Richards Bay has been postponed. The postponement is to allow the Buccaneers sufficient preparation time ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup final against Marumo Gallants at Peter Mokaba Stadium next Saturday.
“We came here with the intention of taking some points, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Ouaddou after the match.
“It was very difficult. We had a tough first half because we faced a strong Durban City side with very high pressing.
“We saw that they are a strong, strong team. You can see the touch of the coach [Gavin Hunt]—a very experienced coach and one of the best in the PSL.
“We knew it would be difficult. For me, the first half doesn’t need to stay in our records, but I must congratulate the boys for their second-half performance.
“At halftime we made some tactical adjustments, and we saw the real Orlando Pirates in the second half.
“My biggest satisfaction is that once again we didn’t concede. That was very important for me, and we scored two goals. It takes us to the top of the log.”
Pirates’ goals came through Evidence Makgopa after a superb pass from Relebohile Mofokeng, while Oswin Appollis—whom Durban City coach Gavin Hunt described as the best player at the moment despite starting on the bench—set up Patrick Maswanganyi for the second.
Ouaddou added: “It’s still a long way to go. We are happy, of course, because winning the league is our target, but we have five months ahead of us and we have to stay humble and keep working.”
With the Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January 2026, Pirates will return to league action only on 24 January when they face Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
