Mouloudia Club d’Alger head coach Khaled Ben Yahia says he was told the Orlando Pirates squad was from another planet, so they were left disappointed not to have made their chances count in Algiers on Tuesday evening.
Pirates return home from Algiers with a vital away goal from the 1-0 win as Mohau Nkota did the business as a second half substitute after being set-up from Relebohile Mofokeng.
It hands the Buccaneers a major advantage of confidence to overcome the hurdle of the reigning Algerian Ligue 1 champions and current league leaders, who made the Soweto giants to work hard for their chances, suffocating them with a high-press for most of the first half.
But MCA were unable to break down the defence of Jose Riveiro’s side, which has been bolsted by the addition of teenager Mbekezeli Mbokazi and moving to a back-three.
“We lost a match that we had prepared well for, on all levels. The disappointment is twofold,” he said.
“What our players did was extraordinary, we suffocated the opponent, we cornered them with our high pressure.
“The Orlando players couldn’t even make two or three proper passes; our players were harassing them so much. At first, I was scared, because I was told that this Orlando team is from another planet.
“However, as the minutes went by, we took control of the game, and the players gained confidence. Unfortunately, we weren’t clinical up front. This defeat hurts us, especially since we had this home support.
“My players did everything we prepared for before this match…we insisted on staying focused and not making mistakes. It’s a shame that we lacked efficiency. I hope we’ll be even better in the future.”
Regarding the return match, which will take place on Wednesday, April 9 at Orlando Stadium, Ben Yahia said his players will give their all to turn things around.
“We’re going to fight in the return leg… we have a good team with the necessary reflexes. We have to keep a cool head and try to work hard to do what’s necessary,” he concluded.
