Orlando Pirates’ CAF Champions League campaign hangs by a thread after a disastrous loss to FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo

The 3-0 loss in hostile conditions means the Buccaneers now have a tough task waiting for them in their bid to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.

They have to score four times without reply in the second leg at home in order to ensure they overturn the deficit and progress to the group stages.

Ouaddou’s took over a side that fell agonisingly short of reaching the final of this competition last season, and it was expected that he would improve on that. 

However, it now seems a tough task for them to progress after they were stunned by the Congolese outfit at the Stade de la Victoire.

In football, anything is possible. The beautiful game is known for its unpredictable nature, and many a time teams have come back from desperate situations.

Pirates will hope to draw inspiration from this when they face Lupopo in the second leg, seeking to overturn a huge deficit in what looks like a big mountain to climb.

Bucs have shown that they are capable of scoring a ton of goals, especially at home. In the previous round, they hammered Lesotho outfit Lioli FC 7-0 on aggregate. 

The Buccaneers have a history of getting dumped out by lowly opponents in the early rounds of the Champions League.

Two seasons ago, they were eliminated at the same stage by Botswana outfit Jwaneng Galaxy, who were then under the guidance of South African coach Morena Ramoreboli.

It was the second time that Pirates had been eliminated by a club from Botswana after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Gaborone United in 2010.

They will hope that they don’t suffer the same fate this season against the Congolese outfit Lupopo, with the second leg being their last chance to put things right. 

When he was shockingly appointed as Jose Riveiro’s successor, it was expected that Ouaddou would struggle to fill the void left by the Spaniard.

Riveiro left for Egypt to take over Al Ahly after an incredibly successful spell with Pirates, where he won several domestic trophies.

Despite a slow start, Ouaddou has already successfully defended one of the trophies won by Riveiro, but one gets the feeling that early elimination from the Champions League would leave him in big trouble.   

Ouaddou’s Pirates are in a desperate situation and have little to no room for error heading into the all-important second leg against Lupopo.

The fact that they need to score four unanswered goals in order to win and progress means Bucs have to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at their opponents.   

The second leg is set to take place on Saturday in what will likely be a fully packed Orlando Stadium as Bucs will look for inspiration from their fans.

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