Despite dominating possession, Pirates found themselves frustrated in the first half by a disciplined and compact home outfit.

Ouaddou revealed that halftime adjustments proved decisive – tactical tweaks freed striker Tshegofatso Mabasa to respond with a clinical brace, while Oswin Appollis sealed the victory with a third goal, giving Pirates a commanding first-leg advantage.

"It was a game with two phases. We knew the opposition would arrive with a low block and energy. We didn't find the space, especially in the central corridor, but there was no space, and we were too slow down the sides in the first half.

Halftime, we made some changes and brought players on to get closer and to form combinations with Mabasa."

READ: Kaizer Chiefs suffer defeat in Angola on return to CAF Confederation Cup

Ouaddou named a strong starting line-up on the back of winning the MTN8 last weekend, but stressed the technical team had already made provision for rotation.

His Lioli counterpart Bongani Maseko, felt the Lesotho side had themselves to blame for losing control of the tie.

"I thought we defended really well, and we were dangerous on the transition, but we just didn't take our chances in the first half. And then in the second half, they changed the structure of their team and that created some problems for us."

Maseko says they can’t be written off ahead of the second leg of the preliminary round next weekend at Orlando Stadium.

Rank	Teams	Points	Rating
1	Australia	3732	124
2	South Africa	3581	116
3	England	4469	112
4	India	4064	104
5	New Zealand	2409	96
6	Sri Lanka	2364	88
7	Pakistan	2050	82
8	West Indies	2036	70
9	Bangladesh	1888	63
10	Ireland	185	23
11	Zimbabwe	208	12
12	Afghanistan	62	10

Finished West Indies in New Zealand Test Series