Cape Town - Orlando Pirates' much-cherished hopes of graduating from the Confederation Cup to the Champions League are glowing red hot after their startling 3-2 win over SuperSport United on Wednesday night.
Their Premiership match at Orlando was doomed for disaster after SuperSport scored two goals in the opening 18 minutes without raising a sweat. For Pirates, the writing was on the wall. Or so it seemed.
Two penalties in the space of three minutes on the stroke of halftime provided Pirates with a springboard to save the game. Namibian Deon Hotto, who together with substitute Abel Mabaso were Pirates' star performers, stepped up to the 'spot' and sent SuperSport goalkeeper Bronwen Williams the wrong way each time for a 2-all stalemate, as the players retreated to the change-rooms for the halftime break.
Mabaso had the final say in injury time when he provided a scoring assist for Goodman Mosele to wrap up the game for Pirates, with a 3-2 win.
The stony-faced Mandla Ncikazi, Pirates' co-coach was a highly relieved man after the final whistle but pointed out the victory was more significant for the team.
"We (coaches) just have to run our own race," said Ncikazi. "The win was not for me. I'm just a smaller piece in the bigger puzzle. I just get stressed by the amount of effort by the team.
"Any coach that works at Pirates will not be happy with the position the club finds itself in.
“The club's demands are clear. When you join the club, you (as a coach) make a presentation. We agree that we’re far below the expectations that the management has placed in front of us.
“I acknowledge that we’re not where we want to be, and it will be bad of me to make excuses.
ALSO READ: SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo cries foul play following defeat to Orlando Pirates
“We just must keep on working on what we can control and score the chances in front of goal.
“If the blame goes to the coach, we accept we have not made the requirements. It is building blocks. When it’s like this, we know what the problem is, and we know we can change things for the better.”
Ncikazi was still cherishing the hope that the team could finish second in the premiership this season. If that ideal materializes, Pirates will play Champions League next season.
"Let's try to win our remaining matches and see where it takes us," said Ncikazi. "Mathematically we can still finish in the second position, depending on what other teams are doing.
"For now, we can go off for the CAF game with confidence after this win. We deserved to win it."
Pirates will have no recovery sessions on Thursday because the team will set off on an 11-hour flight to Algeria.
On Sunday, Pirates will play JS Saoura, in a Confederation Cup Group B game, in Algiers.
Pirates, Group B log-leaders, will qualify for the play-offs if they win the match.
@Herman_Gibbs