Ouaddou Explains Why Appollis Was Benched In Pirates’ MTN8 Final Defeat
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has revealed the tactical thinking behind his decision to leave Bafana Bafana winger Oswin Appollis out of the starting line-up for Saturday’s MTN8 final against Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Buccaneers suffered a 2-0 defeat at Moses Mabhida Stadium, surrendering their four-year reign as MTN8 champions.
Appollis’ absence from the starting XI raised eyebrows before kick-off, given his importance to the team. The winger eventually came on at half-time, replacing the injured Kamogelo Sebelebele, but could not help Pirates turn the game around.
Teboho Mokoena put Sundowns ahead in the first half before Iqraam Rayners sealed the victory with a late penalty. Pirates had a chance to equalise earlier, but Ghampani Lungu missed from the penalty spot in the 60th minute.
Speaking after the match, Ouaddou insisted that benching Appollis was a deliberate tactical decision rather than a reflection of the player’s quality.
“He’s one of the best players in the country, and in our team as well,” said the Pirates coach.
“But when you’re playing a game, you have a strategy. You can play in different phases, and you have to anticipate what can happen in the second half.”
Ouaddou explained that he had planned to introduce Appollis later in the match, hoping the winger would make an impact off the bench.
“We planned to bring him on quickly in the second half. I think we did it last year,” he added.
The coach was referring to last season’s MTN8 final against Stellenbosch FC, when Appollis and Tshepang Moremi came off the bench and helped Pirates secure the trophy.
Ouaddou admitted that conceding early forced Pirates to chase the game, affecting the original plan.
He described Appollis as an important player who has the ability to change a match, but maintained that the decision to use him as an impact substitute was part of his strategy.
“Oswin is a fantastic player. He’s very important for us and an international player. But today, we took the decision to bring him on as an impact player to change the game,” he said.
The plan failed to deliver the desired result as Su