‘Not something exceptional’: Why Ouaddou played down 7-0 Lioli triumph

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has offered a sober assessment of his team’s comprehensive win over Lesotho’s Lioli FC, explaining that the emphatic progression to the next CAF Champions League round “is not something exceptional.

Ouaddou’s troops hammered Lioli FC 4-0 in the second leg of the first preliminary round at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, thanks to a brace each from Tshepang Moremi and Yanela Mbuthuma.

The tie over two legs ended in a convincing 7-0 aggregate win for Pirates, bringing an end to a brief return to continental competition for the Lesotho champions.

While pleased with the result, Ouaddou stated the victory was firmly in the realm of expectation. He expressed that his only concern would have been a failure to beat the opposition, adding that he would have been worried if they had failed to beat a less superior side like Lioli. Pirates now await the winner of the tie between St Eloi Lupopo and Al-Merrikh in the second preliminary round.

“We started the game like we wanted to start it, but it was not easy because we knew that the team [Lioli] would be compact again. However, we were not worried, it was just a question of time to score the first goal and to push them to open a little bit again,” said Ouaddou in his post-match press conference.

Ouaddou: Lioli Win ‘Expected’—Pirates Coach Not Celebrating

“To be honest, we were never worried about that game. I think my players just respected the opponent. When I said respect the opponent, it means that if we have to score five goals, we have to score them, and it’s in those kinds of games that I said that we respect the opponent. But if we had scored only one goal, I would not be happy with my players. I will say that we didn’t respect the opponent, but I’m proud of them. They were very professional, very ambitious and clearly showed the level of Orlando Pirates.”

Ouaddou added: “We have to stay humble because I think it’s normal to win. If Orlando Pirates are not able to win against that team, we could be worried, so it’s just a normal win for us, it’s not something exceptional.”.

🏆 #TotalEnergiesCAFCL 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡

☠️ FT | @orlandopirates 4 – 0 Lioli FC [ Agg: 7 – 0 ]

🎤 Yanela Mbuthuma
🎤 Tshepang Moremi

⚫⚪🔴⭐#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/bfkiYxRQde

— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) September 27, 2025