Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou revealed that the red card given to Tshepang Moremi just before halftime in their CAF Champions League second preliminary round match against St Eloi Lupopo significantly impacted their game plan.

The Buccaneers had leveled the aggregate score to 3-3, having won the second leg 3-0 at Orlando Stadium on Saturday after losing the first leg 3-0 away.

However, the game was decided by a penalty shootout, which Lupopo won after Pirates’ Yanela Mbuthuma and Deon Hotto failed the decisive spot-kicks.

The game had been shaping up to be a thrilling encounter, but it was the red card given to Moremi just before halftime that seemed to alter the course of the match.

Moremi’s dismissal came after Dieumerci Mukoko Amale appeared to provoke Masindi Nemtajela into a reaction.

Mukoko had wrestled the ball away from Nemtajela, who was trying to restart the game quickly after scoring the first goal, and even looked at Nemtajela as if he wanted to beat him.

Moremi fell for the trap, shoving Mukoko, who flew to the ground, resulting in the red card. Speaking after the game, Ouaddou revealed that the red card had forced his team to change their game plan.

“The red card changed our game plan, and with my staff, we had to quickly adapt, and we adapted well because we were about to score goals after,” Ouaddou said.

“But I never speak about the referees with their decisions; I don’t want to do that and only speak about my team.

“I think we still have a young team, and in some situations, we need to be calm and be only focused on our target. We don’t have to fall into the traps of the opponent, and I think we still have a lot of work in terms of our experience to do.”

Despite the setback, Ouaddou praised his team’s solidarity after the game, particularly in response to Mbuthuma’s missed penalty.

Mbuthuma had scored a goal in the game but ultimately missed the penalty that led to the Buccaneers’ defeat.

“The first player that I have just seen after the game is him (Mbuthuma),” the Moroccan mentor added.

“I went quickly on the pitch, just to tell him to chin up, to be proud of what he did when he came because he scored a goal. Maybe without him, we could have lost the game before. So he’s still young; I told him he has many competitions this season, and he will be very important for us.

“What I liked also is that all the colleagues went to him to help him, and in that moment, it’s that we need colleagues and teammates, not when everything is going well.

“We recognize a strong team solidarity when things are going wrong as well. It’s what the players did towards him, and we will continue to work, and life must continue for him.”

With their CAF Champions League campaign now behind them, Pirates will shift their focus to the Betway Premiership, Carling Knockout, and the Nedbank Cup, which will start in 2026.

The Buccaneers will host Magesi in the Carling Knockout quarter-final at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.