Jonevret: Nedbank Cup final loss a nightmare for Orlando Pirates

Orlando Pirates coach Kjell Jonevret has described their 4-1 loss to SuperSport United as a nightmare, saying they had hoped to avenge the 6-1 loss suffered at the hands of the same team in November 2016.

“Of course, it’s a nightmare. This was not what we had hoped for. We wanted to get revenge for what happened earlier in the season,” Jonevret said post-match.

“SuperSport were much better than us, but at the same time I thought we were a little bit afraid in the first half. We were worried when we had the ball. They stepped up a little bit high on us. I liked that and the players normally like that, but there were too many players ball-watching,” he said.

“So, in the build-up play we experienced problems,” Jonevret said.

Jonevret added that the players didn’t play according to instructions, especially in the second half.

“In the second half, the players didn’t follow instructions and started doing crazy things, but I can understand it was the frustration. It’s been a tough day for us,” Jonevret said.

The triumph earns United another entry into next year’s Caf Confederation Cup, and outgoing coach Stuart Baxter saluted their disciplined performance.

“It was a disciplined performance. We know how games are when you play Orlando Pirates. (There’s) individual skills you need to negate. What makes them strong makes them weak at times,” Baxter said.

“We needed to utilize that better and once we got on the front foot, it became more and more obvious they were going to struggle because the more they opened the more we could hurt them. So, I thought the players played marvelously,” Baxter added.