Despite risking everything to bag a win, Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic acknowledged that their effort was not enough to win the match against Cape Town City on Saturday afternoon.
The Buccaneers were looking for a win in order to stretch their Premier Soccer League (PSL) lead to 56 points at the top, but could only settle for a draw against the Citizens.
"First of all, the delay of 15 minutes cost us. We paid expensively for cooling down and started on really the wrong foot, conceding after 20 seconds. We answered immediately, equalising at the right time,” Sredojevic told Supersport TV.
The Soweto giants now lead second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns by a solitary point and have one match remaining to wrap up their league campaign.
"At half-time, we solved the things that were causing us problems. We were supposed to provide three on three in the midfield. We provided exactly that. We pressed a bit higher. We provided them to score that second goal,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the draw has dented Pirates hopes of remaining at the top considering that the Brazilians have a match against Golden Arrows on Tuesday night.
Should coach Pitso Mosimane’s troops win the clash, they will move top with a game remaining.
"Later on, we still had a problem in the midfield. However, we didn't respect that one ball they put in with the cross. They scored. We threw everything upfield with (Thabo) Qalinge and (Augustine) Mulenga,” reacted the manager.
"We risked everything, but unfortunately we didn't get what we wanted. It is an expensive lesson we have learnt. The guys gave everything, but our best was not enough to win the match," he concluded.
On the other hand, City coach Benni McCarthy was a lot more satisfied with the result and revealed that there was no room for emotions despite coming up against his former side.
“A great football match. It was an end-to-end game. And for me, it’s just amazing to see the stadiums getting filled. Because this is the kind of football fans want to see,” McCarthy expressed.
“South African football is really on the up. For me it was really business as usual. Home game, we tried to make it a fortress. And I said it before, for me there’s no emotions in football. My loyalty and my emotions lie with the team I’m coaching, that I give everything for,” he reacted.
“I sympathise with Pirates’ cause because I think they had a great season. But unfortunately they played Cape Town City at the wrong time. They had to be exceptionally better than us today. They got one more game to go. Anything is possible. In football you don’t know what’s going to happen,” McCarthy said.
“Listen, they’ve got to win their last game and hope Sundowns and Wits drop points,” said the City coach.
“But for us, we want to take care of ours. For us, it was most important to give our fans a good sending-off so next season they come in more numbers. For us it was all about playing for the three points and leaving everything on the pitch for the supporters,” he concluded.
