Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou sends message to Patrick Maswanganyi after penalty miss against Chippa United - 'It can happen; it is football'

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has encouraged his attacking midfielder, Patrick Maswanganyi, after a Premier Soccer League penalty miss against Chippa United on Sunday.

Pirates managed a 3-0 win over Chilli Boys with goals from Maswanganyi himself, Deon Hotto, and Tshepang Moremi. The scoreline could have been different had Chippa's goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, not saved Maswanganyi's penalty.

Despite the miss, Ouaddou said such cases are expected to happen in football.

“It can happen in football," Ouaddou told the media.

"What can you say to a player who was fantastic, who had a fantastic performance?

“It can happen; I just encourage him to keep believing in himself and to keep working hard in order to achieve the best season for him. It’s football," he concluded.

Maswanganyi would have come out of the game with a brace had he not missed his 50th-minute penalty.

However, the missed spot kick will not detract from his overall performance, as he was one of the shining stars for Pirates against Chilli Boys.

Recently, the playmaker made headlines when he was withdrawn during the MTN8 second-leg semi-final against Mamelodi Sundowns. This substitution saw him criticised, especially by fans, for underperformance.

However, Maswanganyi produced a Man of the Match performance against Orbit College in the subsequent game.

As Pirates' resurgence continues, Maswanganyi's creativity in the final third is expected to play a key role for the Soweto giants.

After a faulty start to the new campaign, the Sea Robbers have stabilised and now boast of three consecutive league wins and are fifth on the PSL log.