Jwaneng captain ‘really proud’ after Pirates giant-killing

Jwaneng Galaxy captain Thabo Leinanyane has described their head coach Morena Ramoreboli as a hard-worker and he says dumping Orlando Pirates out of the Caf Champions League has put their names in the history books back at home and in Africa as a whole.

Leinanyane led Jwaneng to the group stages of the Champions League by beating the Buccaneers 5-4 on penalties after his side lost 1-0 at Orlando Stadium on Friday, with the qualifier ending in a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

“I have to congratulate my teammates for the stellar performance they showed in Orlando and the character they displayed. Also our coach Morena Ramoreboli, this man is a hard worker, he doesn’t sleep,” said Leinanyana

“They (Ramoreboli and the rest of his technical team) plan so much for this kind of game. And we also have to thank the board and everyone who makes sure that we are well equipped for such big games.

“This is something we will always cherish and it has made us really proud. Our profiles are well known now in Botswana and in Africa because Pirates is a big team and they have won the Champions League before. I think they won two Cups last season and they were runners-up in the league last season. Knocking them out has really made us very happy.”

Stubborn Jwaneng

Bucs had it tough coming up against a stubborn Jwaneng defense and some great saves from their keeper, as they only managed to score one goal over the two legs.

“The coach told us that if we don’t concede at Orlando then we are through to the group stages, that is why we were so compact and solid at the back. We just told ourselves that if we don’t score then they must not score. But unfortunately it happened that they got a goal,” Leinanyane continued.

“After they scored, we had a mini-meeting while the game was on and said we must force this game to penalties. We knew that we have good penalty takers. It paid off and I’m excited. It’s for the second time we go to the group stages and we are looking forward to competing against the best teams in Africa.”