Motale: Orlando Pirates on course for Caf Confed Cup semi-finals qualification
Bucs legend Edward Motale has showered Brighton Mhlongo, Thabo Rakhale and Thamsanqa Gabuza with praise following their outstanding performances against CS Sfaxien
The Buccaneers edged their Tunisian counterparts CS Sfaxien 0-1 at the Stade Taïeb Mhiri in their third Group B match of the Caf Confederation Cup, and Motale feels the Soweto giants are in a good position to progress to the next phase of the competition.
“Overall, I think the team did really well under those conditions,” Motale told Goal.
“From travelling that far and being intimidated for an hour [by police], I think that was a perfect response; and it leaves them in a perfect place and on course to qualify for the semifinals.
“The two bottom teams have got one point each and they [Pirates] have six, this gives them some breathing space and cushion.
“The breathing space is good for them because the coach can also rotate players and those on yellow cards can be given time off.
“Although I do not usually do this, but I think the goalkeeper Brighton [Mhlongo] was fantastic yesterday, and he kept them in the game at crucial stages.
“Jomo [Rakhale] was great too; he ran at them and did his job tirelessly down the line.
“And the big man, Gabuza, was hustling for everything and that is why Kermit [Erasmus] had the chances he had. Gabuza had bullied the defense.
“But these players excelled, but it was a team effort," he said.
Meanwhile, Motale added that Pirates’ good run in the Caf Confederation Cup will benefit Bafana in future.
“Unlike the other teams, Pirates need to be praised for investing so much interest in these competitions,” he added.
“This will benefit our national team in the long run, because teams like Al Ahly dominate these competitions and also their countries dominate African football.
“So, Pirates exposing these players to these conditions, you are preparing our national team for competitions like the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fact Box
Group A
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ahly | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | Etoile du Sahel | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Stade Malien | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Esperance | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 0 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zamalek | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 2 | Orlando Pirates | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | CS Sfaxien | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
| 4 | AC Leopards | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 |
Group StageAll kickoff times are shown as Africa/Johannesburg +0200 GMT | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | DATE | KO | HOME | SCORE | AWAY | REPORTS | |||||||||||||
2015-06-26
|
23:00
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-27
|
16:30
|
0 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-27
|
21:30
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-28
|
22:00
|
3 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-10
|
23:00
|
1 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-11
|
15:00
|
1 - 2
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-11
|
23:00
|
0 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-12
|
18:30
|
0 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-25
|
19:00
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-25
|
20:45
|
1 - 2
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-26
|
19:30
|
2 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-07-26
|
21:30
|
0 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-08
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-08
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-09
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-09
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-22
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-22
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-22
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-08-22
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-09-12
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-09-12
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-09-12
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-09-12
|
00:00
|
vs
| |||||||||||||||||
Play-offsAll kickoff times are shown as Africa/Johannesburg +0200 GMT | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | DATE | KO | HOME | SCORE | AWAY | REPORTS | |||||||||||||
2015-05-15
|
19:00
|
0 - 2
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-16
|
19:00
|
2 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-16
|
20:00
|
2 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-16
|
20:15
|
2 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-17
|
00:00
|
3 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-17
|
15:30
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-17
|
18:00
|
2 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-17
|
19:00
|
4 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-06
|
15:00
|
4 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-06
|
17:00
|
3 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-06
|
17:00
|
1 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-07
|
16:30
|
3 - 2
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-07
|
17:30
|
1 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-07
|
19:00
|
2 (4) - 1 (5)
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-07
|
20:15
|
3 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-06-07
|
21:00
|
3 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
Last 16All kickoff times are shown as Africa/Johannesburg +0200 GMT | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | DATE | KO | HOME | SCORE | AWAY | REPORTS | |||||||||||||
2015-04-17
|
19:00
|
1 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-17
|
19:00
|
1 - 2
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-18
|
14:00
|
1 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-18
|
15:00
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-18
|
17:00
|
2 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-19
|
16:30
|
2 - 2
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-19
|
19:00
|
0 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-04-19
|
19:00
|
0 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-01
|
16:30
|
0 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-01
|
19:00
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-02
|
20:00
|
1 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-02
|
20:15
|
3 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-03
|
16:30
|
4 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-03
|
17:00
|
0 - 1
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-03
|
18:00
|
2 - 0
| |||||||||||||||||
2015-05-03
|
21:30
|
2 - 3
| |||||||||||||||||
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