ORLANDO Pirates coach Roger de Sa would have probably wanted to spend this week basking in the glow of ending his nine-match winless streak against Kaizer Chiefs.
Instead, another tough test awaits De Sa as the Buccaneers face Egyptian side Zamalek away in an African Champions League group clash on Sunday.
De Sa guided Pirates to a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Soweto rivals Chiefs in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal at FNB Stadium on Saturday - his first against Amakhosi as coach in three years.
The coach was rather modest about the achievement, choosing to focus on the important trip to Egypt where Pirates will face a side they beat 4-1 at Orlando Stadium in the first leg.
There is political turmoil in Egypt and the Confederation of African Football has decided the match should be played behind closed doors.
"It was a great feeling but it is really just like any other game," De Sa said. "Our focus now shifts to our game against Zamalek, an important game.
"You could say we have a slight cushion [in the MTN8] now because we won the first leg away, but we certainly took the foot off the pedal once we scored."
De Sa faced a turbulent month with tough back-to-back fixtures locally and in the Champions League. However, the two cup matches against Amakhosi were rescheduled to take place a month apart, while the Ajax Cape Town game - initially planned for tomorrow - was also moved by the Premier Soccer League to a date yet to be decided.
This has given De Sa some breathing space.
The win against Amakhosi might have also gone some way in endearing the coach to the Pirates faithful, who had felt that he was not the right man for their beloved Buccaneers.
De Sa is starting to get the best out his team, and the two emphatic wins in the Champions League against Al Ahly [3-0 away] and Zamalek at home means Pirates have their fate in their own hands as they look to book a place in the semifinals of the continental tournament.
The Buccaneers lead their group, which also includes AC Leopards from Congo, with seven points after three matches.
"We definitely need to have depth and fresh players in the team," said De Sa when asked whether he would find a place in the starting lineup for Saturday's man of the match, Lehlogonolo Masalesa. The defensive midfielder took injured Andile Jali's place in the team, but De Sa confirmed that Jali would be travelling to Egypt.
If Pirates are consistent and win most of their games, they are likely to play more than 40 games this season and will need players who are ready to step up like Masalesa, the coach said.
"But we also need to improve in our counter- attacks. Chiefs were a little bit better than us in that department and that is something we need to work on," said De Sa.
No rest for Pirates
ORLANDO Pirates coach Roger de Sa would have probably wanted to spend this week basking in the glow of ending his nine-match winless streak against Kaizer Chiefs.
Instead, another tough test awaits De Sa as the Buccaneers face Egyptian side Zamalek away in an African Champions League group clash on Sunday.
De Sa guided Pirates to a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Soweto rivals Chiefs in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal at FNB Stadium on Saturday - his first against Amakhosi as coach in three years.
The coach was rather modest about the achievement, choosing to focus on the important trip to Egypt where Pirates will face a side they beat 4-1 at Orlando Stadium in the first leg.
There is political turmoil in Egypt and the Confederation of African Football has decided the match should be played behind closed doors.
"It was a great feeling but it is really just like any other game," De Sa said. "Our focus now shifts to our game against Zamalek, an important game.
"You could say we have a slight cushion [in the MTN8] now because we won the first leg away, but we certainly took the foot off the pedal once we scored."
De Sa faced a turbulent month with tough back-to-back fixtures locally and in the Champions League. However, the two cup matches against Amakhosi were rescheduled to take place a month apart, while the Ajax Cape Town game - initially planned for tomorrow - was also moved by the Premier Soccer League to a date yet to be decided.
This has given De Sa some breathing space.
The win against Amakhosi might have also gone some way in endearing the coach to the Pirates faithful, who had felt that he was not the right man for their beloved Buccaneers.
De Sa is starting to get the best out his team, and the two emphatic wins in the Champions League against Al Ahly [3-0 away] and Zamalek at home means Pirates have their fate in their own hands as they look to book a place in the semifinals of the continental tournament.
The Buccaneers lead their group, which also includes AC Leopards from Congo, with seven points after three matches.
"We definitely need to have depth and fresh players in the team," said De Sa when asked whether he would find a place in the starting lineup for Saturday's man of the match, Lehlogonolo Masalesa. The defensive midfielder took injured Andile Jali's place in the team, but De Sa confirmed that Jali would be travelling to Egypt.
If Pirates are consistent and win most of their games, they are likely to play more than 40 games this season and will need players who are ready to step up like Masalesa, the coach said.
"But we also need to improve in our counter- attacks. Chiefs were a little bit better than us in that department and that is something we need to work on," said De Sa.