Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou said their early elimination in the Nedbank Cup on Saturday was a major disappointment as the club had set their sights on a clean sweep of the domestic knockout trophies.
They were knocked out in the second round by second tier side Casric Stars, losing 5-4 on penalties after they had been held to a goalless draw after extra time at the Orlando Stadium.
It heaped more woe on the club after they had lost in midweek to Mamelodi Sundowns in their top of the table league game.
“It's a big, big disappointment tonight. Of course, that is the case when you get eliminated from a competition that you are focusing on and which is important for the players and for the fans,” Ouaddou said after the shock defeat.
“We started the game exactly like we wanted, to suffocate Casric Stars quickly in the first half and to create chances. I think the most valuable chances we created came in the first half.
“Unfortunately, it's the same story as previous games. It's very important to be efficient, especially in the cup. When you miss such chances in the first half, you give confidence to the opponent, and I think they defended well, they did the job, I think. “For us, we tried in the second half to bring some more creativity to imbalance our opponent. Again, in the second half, we created some chances, and we could have finished the game earlier.
“When it comes to penalties, we prepare them during the week because it's a probability. But it's like that. We lost on penalties.”