Givemore Khupe of Sekhukhune United challnges for the ball during the 2026 MTN8 semi-final second leg match against Orlando Pirates at Orlando Amstel Arena.
Image: Backpagepix
Sekhukhune United assistant coach Paulus Masehe believes Babina Noko gave everything they had in their MTN8 semi-final second leg against Orlando Pirates despite their campaign ending in defeat.
Sekhukhune suffered a 3-0 loss at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, bowing out 4-0 on aggregate after Pirates had also won the first leg in Polokwane.
The defeat completed a difficult run of three losses to the Buccaneers in the space of eight days, including a 2-0 Betway Premiership defeat in midweek.
Despite the results, Masehe believes there were encouraging signs in Sekhukhune’s performances and says the three matches provided valuable lessons for his players.
"The aspect that I think we did well from the first match that we played against Pirates, the first leg of the MTN8, in the second half, was how we controlled possession of the ball and how we then penetrated them and created some chances, although they weren't that many," said Masehe.
"But the league game that we played, we created a lot of chances also in the second half. So even today, it was evident in the second half we did much better. We created a whole lot of chances and we also had to take the risk of committing numbers forward.
"And with the subs and the impact that they had from the bench, they were bound to catch us here and there, and we had to try everything to try and get a goal back."
Masehe believes the quality Pirates possess in key areas of the pitch ultimately made the difference across the three encounters.
He also admits Sekhukhune could have responded better when tactical instructions were changed from the bench.
The latest setback comes as Babina Noko continue to rebuild under coach Cedric Kaze following a major overhaul of their squad during the off-season.
Former captain Linda Mntambo retired, while Bradley Grobler, Thabang Monare and several other experienced players also departed as the club reshaped its squad.
Masehe believes that context needs to be considered when assessing Sekhukhune’s performances, with younger players now being integrated alongside the new arrivals.
He says patience will be important as Babina Noko work towards becoming a more settled and competitive side.
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