Has Abdeslam Ouaddou lost confidence in Patrick Maswanganyi? Orlando Pirates coach explains shocking and early Tito substitution as the Buccaneers fought back to knock Mamelodi Sundowns out of the MTN8

Orlando Pirates reached the MTN8 final after eliminating Mamelodi Sundowns at the semi-final hurdle via a penalty shootout following a 2-2 aggregate draw.

But Saturday's second leg of the semi-final saw Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi being surprisingly substituted for Bandile Shandu six minutes before halftime.

The Buccaneers coach Adbdeslam Ouaddou defends his decision to take out Maswanganyi.

“We have to be careful because Patrick is one of the best players. He is a top player, he has done well for a number of years at the club and I believe in him," said Ouaddou as per Sowetan Live.

"I have been in professional football for 17 years and I can’t tell you how many times I was taken out.  

“It doesn’t mean I was a bad player, it was just that it was not his day but I still believe in him because he is important for our club. Maybe he will be a regular in the final, it is just that today was not his day and it was a tactical choice.”

The Sundowns match was a high-stakes game where some coaches might not be brave enough to pull out one of their key players but Ouaddou made a bold decision.

As Pirates prepare to host Orbit College in Tuesday's Premier Soccer League match, Maswanganyi would be hoping to convince the Moroccan coach that he deserves to start in that match.

This is a player who has scored two goals in five games across all competitions this season but is yet to make an assist.

The Soweto giants will be hoping to register a second consecutive league win when they clash with Orbit.

Having beaten Stellenbosch last week and then the MTN8 win over Sundowns, Pirates appear to have started picking up in confidence after a losing start to the PSL campaign.