Morena Ramoreboli surprised Orlando Pirates withheld Monnapule Saleng

Ramoreboli plotted the downfall of Pirates in their preliminary stage tie as they beat Bucs 5-4 on penalties after playing to a 1-1 draw over their two legs. 

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Having lost 1-0 in the second leg at Orlando Stadium last night, after beating Pirates with an identical scoreline in Botswana a fortnight ago, Ramoreboli, who handed Saleng his Bafana debut two years ago, felt Friday’s game cried out for the winger’s presence.

"I thought, honestly speaking, Saleng would come in because of how they were playing – it was more of his game, utilising that width more and creating those one-v-ones," said Ramoreboli.

"But maybe, for reasons known to coach and maybe because they are playing the [MTN8] final, the coach decided he can't risk all his players.

"But I thought Saleng would come in because Pirates wanted to stretch us so they could play into the box, so I felt he was going to give us a problem – like it happened when Kimviudu came because I think they needed someone to hold onto the ball more."

The South African mentor, who previously famously eliminated Pirates from the 2013 Nedbank Cup with amateur side Maluti FET College, highlighted what his latest triumph over the Soweto giants means for Botswanan football.

"To be honest, it was a matter of saying to them [the team], they are a generation that can give hope to the coming generations, if they do well here, there are young boys out in Botswana who need to believe that Botswana have winners," he outlined.

"And if we win, we'd be giving hope to those back home, who still want to make a life out of football, and I think that was the motivation.

"Secondly, I think football is growing in Botswana. Why? If you check, we do manage to attract talent from outside Botswana, which comes and add value, and sponsors have started to come in, which is the most important thing. 

"I've always said this because, I think, working that side has taught me that while South Africa is up there and everybody's looking at them doing well in football, there are other countries working hard to get where South Africa is.

"The levels are getting closer now, so I think, for me, Botswana is now starting to show that, in the future, they will compete with the big guns like South Africa and other countries on the continent."

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