Pirates ship sailing towards semi-final
think there are many things to say about that. I knew that if the delivery was good, we would be in trouble before the free kick was taken. We have enough experience at the back. If you look at our back line, I think the youngest age is 30.”
The Gunners were hoping to make a flying start and show that they are serious contenders to challenge for Chelsea crown.
Against Slaven Bilic’s wellorganised West Ham, however, Arsenal struggled to impose themselves and Wenger was frustrated with the way his team went about their business.
“I think our performance was not convincing,” the Frenchman said. “I felt we were a bit nervous and we rushed our game a bit.
“We didn’t always respect the basics. We wanted to be too quick going forward in first half.
“I don’t think we were too confident, I would rather say too nervous maybe. On top of that, I feel we gave two very cheap goals away and they were at the wrong moments - just before and after halftime. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”
Arsenal travel to Crystal Palace next Sunday before hosting Liverpool and Wenger has urged his side to bounce back quickly. “It’s difficult but it’s part of our job,” he said. “A successful season is how you respond to disappointments and it’s never a clear motorway.
“We have to respond quickly. We have a tricky start.”
Philippe Coutinho’s stunning late strike gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory at Stoke City.
Humiliated by Mark Hughes’s side in their last Premier League outing, Liverpool’s return to Stoke was a much calmer affair.
Brendan Rodgers came under fire from fans after finishing sixth last term and he invested heavily in a wealth of attacking options tasked with increasing the number of goals scored from last season’s paltry 52.
Striker Christian Benteke, the pick of the bunch as a £32.5 million signing from Aston Villa, was starved of service but Coutinho came to Liverpool’s rescue in a match of few chances. The little Brazilian eased past two Stoke players in the 86th minute before unleashing an unstoppable drive past the Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Steve McClaren’s reign as Newcastle United manager began with a 2-2 home draw against Southampton.
As Newcastle boss McClaren stepped foot in a dugout as a Premier League manager for the first time since 2006, his opposite number Ronald Koeman was nowhere to be seen after undergoing an operation for a ruptured Achilles this week.
The Saints seemed unaffected by their manager’s absence and took the lead in the 24th minute when Italian striker Graziano Pelle rose highest to plant a header past Tim Krul but Newcastle equalised just before halftime through Papiss Cisse.
New signing Georginio Wijnaldum headed in Gabriel Obertan’s perfectly-weighted cross to swing the advantage in Newcastle’s favour but Shane Long equalised in the 79th minute with another headed goal. – Reuters ORLANDO PIRATES demonstrated, yet again, that, when it comes to African inter-club competition, they have no peers in South Africa.
On Saturday, the Soweto side defeated top Tunisian club CS Sfaxien 2-0 in a CAF Confederations Cup group match with goals from Thabo Rakhale and Menzi Masuku – and look on course to qualify for the semifinals of the continental event.
While Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns have hogged the spotlight in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), Pirates have proudly represented the country on the continent. Two seasons ago, when Roger de Sa (now Ajax Cape Town head coach) was in charge of the Buccaneers, they went all the way to the final of the prestigious African Champions League, where they were defeated over two legs by legendary Egyptian club Al Ahly.
It’s also important to remember that Pirates are the only domestic team to have won this competition, when they did so in 1995.
Now, prepared by former Bafana Bafana midfielder Eric Tinkler, the popular Gauteng club looks on course for another semi-final in a continental event.
And, if Sfaxien’s coach is to be believed, Pirates could even go all the way.
“Pirates may not do well in the league, but they dominate in Africa,” said Sfaxien’s Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte. “I think, with their squad, they can win this competition.”
Tinkler said: “Sfaxien are a great attacking side and I thought we defended really well. It’s a fantastic win.
“The back-four was solid, and Issa Saar in central midfield was simply phenomenal… he won a lot of balls in midfield, which allowed us to catch them on the break.”