Former Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa admits he was stunned by the Buccaneers’ 3-0 defeat to Saint-Eloi Lupopo in the CAF Champions League Second Round Preliminary qualifiers, but insists Bucs have the firepower to score multiple goals in the return leg.
The result came as a shock for Abdeslam Ouaddou’s high-flying side, who entered the fixture on the back of superb form, 11 wins from 14 matches, just two losses, and seven clean sheets across all competitions. They had also lifted the MTN8 trophy in September after beating Stellenbosch FC 3-0, with Ouaddou setting a club record of eight straight victories in charge.
Confidence in CAF was equally sky-high after a 7-0 aggregate win over Lioli FC in the previous round. But on the continent, confidence can quickly turn to chaos, and Lupopo proved that.
Despite being less fancied and having played only friendlies this month, two goalless draws against Groupe Bazano and AS Simba, the Congolese outfit stunned the Soweto giants. They were fresh from edging Al Merrikh 1-0 on aggregate and carried that fighting spirit into the tie.
ROGER DE SA ON THE LUBUMBASHI NIGHTMARE
Speaking to FARPost, De Sa admitted he didn’t see the result coming but reminded fans that CAF football is always unpredictable. “Of course, I am surprised,” De Sa said.
“I think to go there is always difficult, but to lose 3-0 was a bit of a shock because Pirates have shown signs of a club that can win the title, and even at home. There are a lot of signs of improvement. I was shocked.”
“But then again, it’s football, isn’t it? Possibly, they were chasing a result. Once you go 1-0 down, you are chasing a result, you are away from home, it can happen.”
De Sa also highlighted how unpredictable African club football can be due to the lack of reliable homework data.
“The other side of it is that you are playing against unknowns. It is difficult. The African competition is a different monster altogether. It is teams you don’t have a lot of information on. You might see them on video playing in the local league, but it is very different when you come up against them. So, ya, a tough one to swallow… a tough task ahead to turn that result around, but it can be done, there’s no doubt about it.”
Despite the setback, De Sa remains confident that the Soweto giants have enough attacking power to flip the tie when the action returns home.
“Pirates have the attacking team that can score many, many goals. Let’s see how it goes,” De Sa concluded.
The return leg takes place at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, 25 October, where the Buccaneers must win 4-0 to advance or 3-0 to take the clash to penalties.
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