There was thunder in Orlando, and for 90 minutes plus stoppage time it felt like the storm would sweep away doubt as Pirates in CAF Champions League turned from a lost cause into a pulsating revival. Orlando Pirates beat Saint-Eloi Lupopo 3-0 in the second leg in Soweto to erase the three-goal deficit from Lubumbashi, yet the fairytale stopped at the penalty spot where Lupopo kept their nerve and the Buccaneers bowed out.
A belief in miracles at Orlando Stadium
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had set the emotional tone on the eve of the match, urging his players to hold tight to possibility. He spoke of psychological preparation, of ambition married to balance, of a crowd that could carry a team. He reminded everyone that Pirates had once scored three goals in 15 minutes in the MTN8, and that 90 minutes offered a world of time to climb back.
It was a call to chase the improbable without losing shape, and it framed a night when Orlando Stadium breathed as one. The equation was stark, Pirates needed four unanswered to reach the group stages, yet they went out to attack with purpose, and to trust that one goal could become two, then three, then the moment that tested courage from twelve yards.
A chaotic night that tested character
Lupopo arrived with a 3-0 cushion and sat deep from the start, packing the defensive third and disrupting rhythm whenever possible. Orlando Pirates were forced early into long-range efforts, with Tshepang Moremi and Patrick Maswanganyi both trying their luck and missing the target as the visitors cooled the temperature of the contest.
Then the game cracked open. In the 39th minute, Masindi Nematajela strode through midfield and guided a composed finish into the corner, sparking belief and an eruption in the stands. What followed was ugly, a scuffle as Lupopo right back Dieumerci Amale slapped the ball from Nematajela’s hands and appeared to make head contact, then crumpled when Moremi pushed him in the chest. The referee, Mohamed Ali Moussa of Niger, flashed red at Moremi and also sent off Lupopo’s Chris Maniana in what looked like mistaken identity, while Amale escaped sanction.
Heroes and hard lessons
From there, the match swayed between high drama and heavy frustration. Sipho Chaine was needed to keep Pirates alive, producing a fine stop from Basiala Amongo, while on the other side Simon Medjo stood tall, clawing away efforts including a sharp save from Oswin Appollis just after the interval. Orlando’s captain Mbekezeli Mbokazi had headed wide from an Appollis corner earlier, a near miss that hinted at what was to come.
Ouaddou turned to his bench and found impact. Kabelo Dlamini arrived at half time and struck from distance to test Medjo, then his set piece unlocked the second goal as substitute Yanela Mbuthuma glanced in a header in the 68th minute. The stadium shook, the belief was back, and every second ball felt like a duel that could tilt a season.
The late twist that gave hope and the shootout that took it away
It looked as if Lupopo would just about survive, time trickling away as the visitors threw bodies in the way and sought every pause they could find. Then, in stoppage time, Appollis took aim from the edge of the area, his shot skidding through a thicket of legs and into the net. The aggregate stood 3-3, hope soared, and the shootout loomed with everything on the line.
In the end, the pressure was merciless. The decisive kick went begging, with Mbuthuma pulling his effort wide, and Lupopo could finally exhale. Pirates had delivered the perfect 90 minutes they needed, they simply could not finish the job in the lottery from the spot. It was as cruel as football gets, and it left a packed Orlando Stadium hushed after roaring for the comeback of the season.
Ouaddou on values, experience and the fine margins
After the match, Ouaddou’s message was firm on principles as well as performance. He took aim at Lupopo’s spoiling tactics, players dropping to the turf from the first whistle, and the theatre that inflamed tempers after the opening goal. He also urged his own squad to keep cooler heads in heated moments, to grow in experience and focus.
I am not buying this behaviour, it is important to show a good example. Football is a bridge between countries and we have a duty to show an example to all the young children dreaming of becoming professional footballers. I will never teach my players such bad behaviour.
Those words came paired with self-reflection. The coach noted that Pirates are still a young team, that there is learning to be done about game management and composure. He stressed the need to avoid falling into traps set by opponents, an acknowledgment that the best response is always on the pitch, and that the biggest lessons can come wrapped in heartache.
The shadow of Lubumbashi and the pride of Orlando
There was also the undertow of the first leg in Lubumbashi. Ouaddou hinted at a difficult trip and treatment that did not fit the spirit of the competition. He chose to let the second leg speak instead, to answer in football and not in complaint. The message was clear, the image you project matters, and Pirates intend to stand for hospitality, fairness and fearless play in front of their own supporters.
On the pitch, that intent could be seen in the way Pirates pushed on with ten men for much of the game and still performed at a tempo that cracked open a stubborn block. The blend of Chaine’s handling, the spark from Dlamini, the calm of Nematajela, and the late precision from Appollis gave the night its structure. It also gave the club a performance that suggests this season still has steel, even if the continental dream fades for now.
From continental heartbreak to a domestic reset
The turnaround must be swift. Pirates host Magesi FC on Tuesday night at Orlando Stadium in the Carling Knockout quarterfinal. Magesi arrive as defending champions of the competition, which raises the stakes for a squad dealing with a painful exit and a tight recovery window.
Ouaddou’s message to his group was to move forward quickly. There is no time to dwell, he said, and he asked supporters to hold faith. He understands the disappointment from fans who expected a place in the group stages, yet he believes the fight shown in the comeback can be a platform. He called the upcoming tie against Magesi important, a chance to turn the emotional surge from Saturday into momentum.
Why this exit can still shape the season
Pirates did not fall to a lack of fight, they fell to the fine margin of penalties. That matters for confidence, because players can trace the pathway back from defeat and see moments of growth. They could see Nematajela setting the tone, Dlamini altering the pulse of the second half, and Mbuthuma rising to head in a goal that electrified the stands, even if his final kick brought anguish.
There is also the clarity that arrives with a trimmed schedule. The focus shifts to domestic trophies, and that can sharpen edges rather than dull them. The Carling Knockout presents a tangible target and a quick test of resolve, and the league calendar invites a sustained run if this intensity is bottled and poured again.
Key moments that defined the tie
- Nematajela’s opener lit the fuse, a clean strike after a contentious midfield challenge that changed belief,
- the double red card confusion rattled both teams, with Moremi dismissed and Maniana sent off while Amale stayed on,
- Appollis’ stoppage time drive forced penalties, then the shootout swung to Lupopo when Mbuthuma missed wide.
What the numbers could not capture
The scoreboard tells a story of a 3-0 home win and a shootout defeat, but the texture of the night ran deeper. It was in the way Chaine tipped away efforts to keep hope alive, in the acrobatic saves from Medjo that stretched belief, and in the ceaseless noise that rolled down from the stands as minutes evaporated. These are the notes supporters carry home, when the result sits heavy but the performance softens the blow.
It was also in the coaching decisions that swung momentum. Introducing Dlamini at half time brought energy and end product on set pieces, while keeping Appollis high and involved created the angle for that late strike. There were points of naivety, the scuffle that invited cards and disruption, but there was also composure in possession and the refusal to let the tie drift.
Ouaddou’s call to the supporters
After the final whistle, Ouaddou appealed to fans for patience and trust. He acknowledged the weight of expectation at Orlando Pirates and the sense of what might have been, given the quality of football on display. He insisted that the best team on the day did not go through in this stage, and that such nights can harden a squad for what lies ahead in the domestic arena.
That appeal landed on ears that had just experienced a roller coaster. The home end will remember the roar after Appollis struck, the silence after the last penalty missed, and the applause that followed a team that had bled for the badge. The next step is to convert that emotion into action against Magesi, to make the cup a response rather than a refuge.
The road ahead starts now
There is a thin line between heartbreak and fuel. Pirates find themselves on that line, with a chance to turn sorrow into sharpness. Tuesday provides the next checkpoint, a quarterfinal in a competition that can shape confidence and restore belief.
The lessons from Lupopo are clear. Control the emotion, trust the structure, and let the football write the answer. If Pirates bring the same intensity and clearer heads, their season can still hum with the sound that filled Orlando on a night when the comeback was real, even if the reward slipped away in the final act.
