Orlando Pirates Secure 1-0 Victory Against Las Palmas

Orlando Pirates wanted answers in Spain. They walked away from this one with a clean sheet, a late winner and, perhaps most importantly, a reminder of what their badge is supposed to stand for.

Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side edged Las Palmas 1-0 in a demanding pre-season clash, a result that mattered less than the manner of it. This was not a flowing exhibition. It was a grind. And that was exactly the point.

Defence first, finally

Pirates have leaked goals all tour. Ouaddou has said it, the numbers have shown it, and the players have felt it. Against Las Palmas, that trend stopped.

For ninety minutes, the South African giants held their shape, stayed switched on and refused to give away the kind of soft moments that had undermined them earlier in the camp. The coach had pushed them physically, stretching players beyond the hour mark and into the red zone.

“The players have been over 60 minutes, we pushed them for 90 minutes and I’m very happy about the performance,” he said, underlining the night’s priorities: create chances, concede nothing.

The pressure finally told. Pirates not only shut out their Spanish opponents but did so with a level of concentration that has been missing since the start of the tour. For a technical team obsessed with tightening the back line, this was a small but significant victory.

A tour shaped by controversy

This was Pirates’ fourth outing of pre-season: two wins, one draw, one defeat. On paper, a mixed bag. On the pitch, a different story, with performances trending upwards as the group absorbs Ouaddou’s demands.

The coach’s mind is still on the chaos of the previous game. Against Al Ittihad, Pirates were dragged into a 3-3 thriller that could easily have been a statement win.

“So yesterday, again, yesterday, I think I was very happy about the performance against Al Ittihad,” Ouaddou reflected. The sting remains. Pirates saw a goal ruled out in contentious fashion. “Indeed, it was a 3-3 because we have scored one goal that the referee refused. It was not a handball, it was a chest from Tito.”

That decision did more than change a scoreline. It hardened a message.

“And what I said to the boys, we need to find back our strength because it’s what makes the strength of Orlando Pirates.”

Against Las Palmas, his players responded with exactly that: resilience, edge, and a refusal to feel sorry for themselves.

Radiopane steps up

The breakthrough came late, and it came from the bench.

Boitumelo Radiopane, one of the younger faces in this evolving squad, stepped in and settled the contest with a clinical finish. In a tight, tactical game against European opposition, a moment of sharpness from a substitute made the difference.

For Ouaddou, the goal was only part of the story. The real headline lay in how the youngsters handled the stage.

“This team is the most youngest team that I could have put during this camp,” he explained. It was a risk. It paid off. “And they really responded very well in terms of aggressiveness, in terms of organisation, tactically. Tactically, they were very clever.”

These are not empty compliments. Pre-season can expose young players as easily as it can showcase them. Here, they held their own against seasoned professionals, stuck to complex instructions and still found a way to decide the game.

“So I think Orlando Pirates have a bright future with these young players,” Ouaddou concluded, a line that felt less like a prediction and more like an early warning to the rest of the Betway Premiership.

One more test, and a hint of revenge

The Spanish tour is almost done, but inside the camp there is no sense of winding down. If anything, the mood is sharper. The work has been intense by design: heavy training loads, demanding friendlies, and constant tactical tweaks aimed at hardening Pirates for the domestic grind to come.

There is, as Ouaddou put it, unfinished business.

“We still have one game, a tough one again. The next game against Neom will be a revenge for us,” he said. The word “revenge” hung in the air. It spoke of previous frustrations, of chances missed and standards not quite met.

Pirates want to leave Spain with more than encouraging performances. They want a final result that matches their growing belief.

“And I will be happy if we can finish this camp with a victory.”

One game left, one more chance to turn pre-season promise into something more tangible. The question now is simple: can this new-found steel travel back with them to South Africa when the real battles begin?