Orlando Pirates have been given a massive word of encouragement following their heartbreaking CAF Champions League exit at the semi-finals stage against Egyptian side Pyramids FC.
The Soweto giants lost 3-2 at 30 June Stadium on Friday in a game where they took the lead twice. The first leg, played at FNB Stadium a week earlier, had ended goalless.
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With that, Jose Riveiro's men came so near, yet so far to confirming an all-SA Champions League final with Mamelodi Sundowns having defeated Al Ahly on the away goals rule earlier.
"It's not a train smash. We can't fault them,"says Teboho Moloi.
"The same thing happened to us in 2006 against CS Sfaxien when we were inexperienced. All of us on the bench, as well as the players, were raw. That's why, in the second term, with players like Happy Jele and Andile Jali, we managed to reach the final.
"The entire Pirates technical team and the players are inexperienced in this Champions League thing, and to make matters worse, they fielded a young squad.
"Despite his age, Relebohile Mofokeng's goal shows the talent he possesses. He and (Mohau) Nkota were clinical. As Riveiro said, the future of Pirates is bright," he added.
The former Bucs assistant coach laments how the side failed to protect its lead twice in what was a tight game.
"TLB (Mbekezeli Mbokazi) was targeted in the second leg after Pyramids had failed to penetrate him in the first leg, which indicates that they respected him.
"This all illustrates how much the young Pirates squad has grown throughout this tournament. Just observe how many defenders marked Mofokeng every time he was on the ball.
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"Pirates have benefited greatly from participating in this Champions League. It has provided them with valuable experience. They now know what to expect, and this has been a learning curve. Next time they get a chance, I believe they will make it to the final.
"They have learned that if they are not competing in the Champions League, it means they are not performing well domestically," concluded 'Tebza'.
