7 days ago
Abdeslam Ouaddou under early pressure after Orlando Pirates suffer Marumo Gallants sucker punch
Oswin Appollis of Orlando Pirates competes for the ball with Khumbulani Ncube of Marumo Gallants during their Betway Premiership match.
Orlando Pirates' sluggish start to the season deepened as they fell 2–1 to Marumo Gallants at Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Sea Robbers remain winless after two matches. They looked strong early, with Patrick Maswanganyi opening the scoring. But Gallants hit back with goals in each half — first through Daniel Msendami and then a late strike by Jaisen Clifford — delivering another blow to Pirates' championship aspirations this early in the campaign.
The Buccaneers started like a house on fire, seemingly intent on fixing the mistakes from their clash against Sekhukhune United. Dr Molemela Stadium — packed and pulsing with song — intensified the pressure on coach Abdeslam Ouaddou's broad shoulders.
He faced extra scrutiny from his former side on the opposing bench, who were clearly intent on making life difficult for him.
Despite making three changes from the Babina Noko loss, the Moroccan tactician stood by his selections, even though his line-up still lacked some of Jose Riveiro's championship chasing fan favourites from last season.
