Bucs not down and out
ZINNBAUER: COACH KNOWS CUP TIE COULD EASILY HAVE GONE EITHER WAY
Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has hailed his team despite losing their Nedbank Cup Last 32 match to Bidvest Wits on Sunday afternoon. It was the German mentor’s first taste of defeat since taking over from Rulani Mokwena in mid-December and it was somehow not as bitter as it would normally be.
Trailing 2-0 at half time, the Buccaneers came back galvanised and took the game to their visitors at Orlando Stadium and managed to score the two goals and force the match to extra time. Bucs took the lead in extra time but former player Gift Motupa spoiled the party when he equalised and took the match to penalties where Wits won 3-2, Lorenzo Gordinho netting the decisive spot kick.
“When you concede two goals and come back, then go in front, normally you win the game,” said Zinnbauer honestly after the match. “But (like) I said in the weeks (before), we have to learn and this is a game where we hopefully learned a lot of things. If you are a little clever you can win a game like this,” he added.
Zinnbauer was impressed by how his team fought and never gave up and said had they had a minute more to play, they could have got a different result.
“We have a team who came back against Wits as it is and for a moment we felt we could have won the game. I am very proud of the team. We have to take care of all points in the game. It is not enough that you score a goal or three goals because in the end you can lose the game. We have young players on the pitch and they need experience.
“(But) Maybe if we had a minute more we would have won the game and we would be very happy. I am happy, not with the result, but (I am with) the performance,” he said.
Wits’ Gavin Hunt, meanwhile, credited their Caf Confederations run for his team’s strong mental conditioning and said it was the reason behind his team’s resilience even when under pressure.
“Caf does that to you. In Caf you tackle below waist height, no foul. In South Africa it is a different story. We suffered (at Caf) but we gained a lot in the long run. It brings a lot of togetherness in the team, brings a lot of character and it showed today when we were playing with nine players,” said Hunt, whose side saw Elias Pelembe sent off in extra time.