Orlando Pirates weren't advantaged by the 33rd-minute dismissal of Cape Town City's Mpho Makola in Sunday's 1-0 defeat, claims Buccaneers coach Josef Zinnbauer
Kermit Erasmus scored the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time as Bucs failed to make the most of their numerical superiority, despite Makola seeing red in the 33rd minute.
City even had the best chance of the second half, with Erasmus having a second goal disallowed, as Pirates extended their winless league run to six games comprising two defeats and four draws.
“We got one or two chances, we could have scored," Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV. "We didn’t score then, but the big point for me was the red card. Normally you have the advantage but for us in this instance [it was] not an advantage.
“It’s always easy to say [it is an advantage] but in the field it is the other way and this was the point for us today we did not come into the game," he added, "and then in the second half we fought, we penetrated in the box a lot of times but we did not score.
"If you do not score then it’s not possible to win the game. When you have an opponent with one goal [up] and you have zero and then you just stay deep you are defending very good.”
Pirates threatened to claw their way back into the game for the better part of the second half, but had to face some spirited defending from City.
“I have to say the opponent defended very well," said Zinnbauer. "It’s a structure in their system and it’s not so easy to find a solution.
“I cannot say my team was bad, but it is football. All guys against 10 or nine players you have to win but we know football, it is football. Normally you score one, you get into the penalty [box] then you score then maybe you get the next and the next, but you have no time you play against time.
“Compliment to the other team they had a good game today.”
With Pirates now down in fifth, they must now seek to breathe life into their campaign against SuperSport United in their next match on Saturday.