Abdeslam Ouaddou addresses Patrick Maswanganyi penalty miss | OneFootball

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Ouaddou on Maswanganyi penalty miss, importance of Chippa win

Photo: Patrick Maswanganyi

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has addressed Patrick Maswanganyi’s penalty miss in their Betway Premiership clash against Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Buccaneers eased past the Chilli Boys to register their third league win of the season, thanks to goals from Maswanganyi, Deon Hotto and second half substitute Tshepang Moremi, who rounded up the scoring to seal a comfortable 3-0 win.

While Maswanganyi found the back of the net in open play, he missed the opportunity to double his tally in the match from the penalty spot as Nigerian international Stanley Nwabali was equal to the task, saving the playmaker’s kick.

When quizzed on what he makes of the Bafana international’s miss, the Moroccan tactician downplayed the situation, acknowledging that it’s normal for one to fail to convert from the spot, while highlighting Maswanganyi’s contribution in the match.

“It can happen in football, what can you say to a player who was fantastic, who had a fantastic performance. It can happen, I just encourage him, keep believing in him and to keep working hard in order to achieve the best season for him – it’s football,” said Ouaddou.

Meanwhile, Ouaddou was pleased with how his charges applied themselves in the dominant win in Gqeberha, stressing the importance of the maximum points considering their title rivals had won a day before.

“I think we did the game that we wanted to achieve, it was very important for us to come here today [Sunday] to take the three points,” he added.

“Before the press conference I said it was a game of not three points but six points especially when you have seen the results yesterday [Saturday] and with our target to be very close and reach the top of the league table, it was very important.