Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has insisted that failing to defeat their title rivals Mamelodi Sundowns is not a missed opportunity in the championship race.
The Buccaneers suffered a 2–1 defeat to the Brazilians in their Betway Premiership clash on Wednesday evening at FNB Stadium.
With this victory, Bafana Ba Style narrowed the gap at the top of the table to just three points, while still holding a game in hand — an advantage as the season progresses.
Despite the setback, Ouaddou remains confident about his side’s title ambitions. The French-Moroccan tactician, who is determined to wrestle the league crown away from Chloorkop, emphasised that there are still many matches left to be played.
He believes the championship will ultimately be decided over the course of the remaining fixtures, rather than by a single result at this stage of the campaign.
“You know, in football, if you ask me that question [missing opportunity to be Sundowns – title contenders], when five games are left, I would agree with you,” said Ouaddou.
“But the number of the games that we still have, everything can happen. And 13 games, I think, I have to say, 13 or 14 games.
“For me, we still have to work to give everything because you can have many surprises in football, and we have to fight until the end of the league. This is the message that I want to give.
“The PSL is a very good league with good teams, and this scenario, we wanted to avoid it, but it happened, and it’s not the end of the world, and we have to keep working and to keep believing.”
