Orlando Pirates Beat Cádiz 2-1 as Ouaddou Says They're "Cruising Nicely"
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says his side is finding its rhythm heading into the new season, after a come from behind 2-1 win over Cádiz CF in Spain on Saturday.
Cádiz took the lead inside six minutes through Ibon Sanchez at the Cádiz Sports Complex. Tshepang Moremi equalised for the Buccaneers four minutes later, before Daniel Msendami scored the winner in first half stoppage time. It was Pirates' second pre-season warm up match in Spain, following a 1-1 draw with second tier side Córdoba FC on Wednesday.
Speaking to former Pirates midfielder turned content creator Michael Morton, part of the club's travelling delegation, Ouaddou said his team's intensity is catching up to league level with the Betway Premiership season two weeks away.
"We can see that step by step, we are increasing the intensity. We are close to the intensity of the league which will start after two weeks," Ouaddou said. "We have seen some good transitions as well. We have scored in the transition, step by step, the objective is to get close to 90 minutes."
The coach, a former defender, also flagged early lapses that need fixing before Pirates begin defending their PSL title. He pointed to the sharpness of Spanish opposition as useful preparation.
"All Spanish teams can play. They have very physical sides, and my team gave me a very good answer today," he said. "We are cruising nicely and I am very happy."
