A former CAF Champions League winner has lauded Orlando Pirates for qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Confederation Cup.
Despite losing 1-0 against Enyimba FC in Aba on Wednesday night, the Buccaneers have qualified for the last 8 of the continental competition.
Former Pirates striker Bruce Ramokgadi, who won the Champions League as one of the leading attackers for the Buccaneers in 1995, says Josef Zinnbauer's side could reach the final of the Confederation Cup.
"Now that the team has reached the quarter-finals, there's a big possibility to reach the final of the Confederation Cup. It's the knockout stages and everything is possible. They played with a depleted team against Enyimba due to injuries but managed to hold on until right at the end when they conceded. It was the goalkeeper's mistake that led to the goal," said Ramokgadi.
"At least they know the significance of playing in these continental competitions. (In 1995 when Pirates won the Champions League), we were just enjoying ourselves and didn't realise how significant that competition was. No one explained to us what was at stake. All knew was that we would be competing against teams from the other parts of Africa and that was all.
"It was only after we qualified for the final that we saw that the competition was huge and was taken seriously. On the day of the final in the second leg in Abidjan, we were shocked to see so many fans turning up for the match. My advice to the Pirates coach is to always try and play his best possible team despite the injuries that are affecting his planning. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game and there's nothing he or anyone can do about them," Ramokgadi added.
