Al Ittihad 3-2 Orlando Pirates - Abdeslam Ouaddou's men go down fighting in pre-season friendly in Spain
Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad defeated the South African Orlando Pirates 3-2 in a pre-season friendly match held in Spain. The game featured several high-profile players and served as preparation for the upcoming season.
Why it matters
International pre-season friendlies are critical for team development and global brand exposure for football clubs.
The Buccaneers suffered their first loss of the 2026 pre-season tour after going down 3-2 to The Tigers at the Banus Football Centre in Marbella. They will have to regroup quickly as they have another match against Spanish club Las Palmas just 24 hours after the final whistle against the Saudi giants.
Abdeslam Ouaddou handed starts to a trio of his returning Bafana Bafana World Cup stars Thalente Mbatha, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa but that didn't stop the Saudi club from taking the lead inside 10 minutes when veteran Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri got on the end of an Abdulrahman Al-Aboud cross to head past goalkeeper Sipho Chaine.
The Buccaneers hit back in the 26th minute when Appollis played in Mbatha who finished into the far corner from the edge of the box.
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