WATCH: Ouaddou reacts to Pirates’ shock Nedbank Cup exit

The ‘Magic of the Cup’ proved to be a nightmare for Orlando Pirates on Saturday night, as head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou watched his side succumb to a shock Nedbank Cup exit at the hands of Casric Stars.

𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦: 𝗢𝗨𝗔𝗗𝗗𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗘𝗝𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 🚨

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou reacts to the shock #NedbankCup exit. While mourning the result, he praised Casric Stars for their “defensive discipline” in holding the Buccaneers to a 120-minute stalemate.… pic.twitter.com/hAMwVrvPQp

— Pan-Africa Football (@PanAfricaFooty) February 22, 2026

In a result that mirrored the earlier elimination of Mamelodi Sundowns, the Buccaneers failed to break down a resilient second-tier defence over 120 minutes, eventually falling 5-4 in a tense sudden-death penalty shootout at the Orlando Amstel Arena.

A Familiar Script of Inefficiency For Ouaddou

For Ouaddou, the post-match post-mortem centred on a recurring theme: the inability to convert dominance into goals. Despite a clear tactical objective to “suffocate” the Motsepe Foundation Championship side early on, Pirates left the door open for an upset.

“It’s a big disappointment tonight to [be eliminated] from the competition, something that was important for the players and the fans,” Ouaddou admitted. “We wanted to create chances, but unfortunately, it’s been the same story as the previous game—efficiency is vital, especially in the cups.”

The Pirates tactician noted that every missed opportunity in the first half acted as a psychological boost for the visitors. As the game progressed without a breakthrough, Casric Stars grew in stature, fueled by a rigid defensive display that the Soweto Giants simply couldn’t unpick.

“When you miss such chances… you give confidence to the opponent. I think they defended well and did their job,” Ouaddou said. “We tried to bring more creativity in the second half to imbalance Casric, but we couldn’t finish the game earlier.”

The Lottery of Penalties

Despite the shock nature of the result, Ouaddou insisted that the club had not taken the possibility of a shootout lightly.

“It comes down to penalties, which we worked on and prepared for during the week as it was a probability. But it’s like that—we lost. Congratulations to Casric Stars FC, their players, and technical staff.”

The exit marks a seismic shift in the tournament landscape, with the “Big Three” now officially absent from the quarter-final draw. Pirates must now pivot their focus back to the Betway Premiership, while Casric Stars join the likes of AmaZulu and TS Galaxy in the final eight.