Pirates coach JZ – it is a very, very bad day for us

Josef Zinnbauer tried his best to explain a bad day at the office, as Orlando Pirates’ defence of their MTN8 title ended with a whimper, in a 2-1 defeat by Swallows FC in the quarterfinals at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

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The Buccaneers, who won their first trophy since the 2014 Nedbank Cup when they lifted last year’s MTN8, went down to the Birds thanks to an early brace by Swallows striker Rudzaigh Gamildien, while Kabelo Dlamini got Pirates only goal of the match from the penalty spot.

“It was a bad, bad result, a bad start in the first half as well. We didn’t have a solution to the high pressure from Swallows. There were a lot of mistakes which gave Swallows a chance (to capitalise),” said Zinnbauer, the disappointment clear in his voice.

“We tried to get our self-confidence back after the two goals and we got back into the game a little bit more.”

“In the second half, we made changes in some positions to get a bit of a structure in terms of our build up and it was much better then. But it was not enough, we had a lot of opportunities to score in the final third … but we lost the game and it is a very, very bad day for us. Especially in the derby, especially in the MTN8.”

For the winning coach, Brandon Truter, he credited the club’s style of play for their victory and says even though the Buccaneers put them under pressure at some point in the match, they managed to deal with the threat.

“I speak a lot about our philosophy and our DNA, that’s something that’s not negotiable. That’s our demand from our players, that is also what the culture of Swallows is all about,” said Truter.

“Yes, Pirates had the upper hand and put us under pressure as well during the game. But the resilience was there and I’m happy for that. Yes we conceded via a penalty, but they put in a lot of crosses in the penalty area and we dealt with it.”