Cape Town City FC coach Benni McCarthy during the Nedbank Cup, Last 16 match between Cape Town City FC and Orlando Pirates at Cape Town Stadium. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Gallo Images)
City beat Pirates 1-0 in the Nedbank Cup last-16 match at Cape Town Stadium, with Ayanda scoring the only goal of the match in the second half.
“It is an incredible morale booster because Pirates are on a high, they are a great team. You see the way that they played against Chiefs, they were amazing,” McCarthy told SuperSport TV after the game.
READ: City stun Pirates to reach Nedbank Cup quarterfinals
“We had to really plan carefully, but I think the game gave us an indication of how they played against Chippa.
“We tried to exploit where they weren’t so good because when they are coming for you, and they always attack with four or five players going forward, it leaves them vulnerable behind. The full-backs go quite high up.
“We tried to get our players in those spaces, and we wanted to have numbers in the box. I think that’s exactly how the goal came. We surprised them,” added McCarthy.
McCarthy praised Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic for the work he has done with Bucs.
“It was a very tough game, Pirates are a fantastic team. The coach has done a sterling job with them. They are so well-organised, very well-structured. I think that they are the biggest contenders for the league, and I wish them all the best. They are a magnificent team.
“At the end of the day luck was on our side, and we managed to get the one chance to put it in the back of the net and came out victorious.
“There are a lot of positives to take from this game and we will kick on from here,” concluded McCarthy.
ALSO READ: Chiefs coach not giving up on league title race
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
