Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer has shared his thoughts regarding his first CAF Confederations Cup outing in Angola.
Zinnbauer’s Orlando Pirates came away with a hard-fought 1-0 away victory over Angola’s Segrada Esperanca thanks to a late Thembinkosi Lorch strike.
Zinnbauer touched on the difficult conditions his team had to overcome which included excessive heat as well as a troublesome pitch.
It was a tough day at the office for Orlando Pirates – Zinnbauer
“It was a tough game for us, the weather was very hot and the field was not so good – there was long grass and bouncy field, a little bit difficult for to play the ball,” Zinnbauer told the Orlando Pirates media team.
“But from minute to minute, we became better in the game against a very strong defensive team with man-marking systems, so it was not so easy for our players.
“We have special players on the field that want more space and they went one-against-one, but when you always have an opponent on your back then it’s not so easy.”
Zinnbauer congratulates Lorch for winning goal
Thembinkosi Lorch once again showed his class by scoring the match winner in the 74th minute and the Orlando Pirates mentor has since showered his praise on ‘Nyoso’.
“But they did a good job today, it turned out very well, especially the result. This was a team effort today, and congratulations to Lorch, who scored a top goal. The away-goal was important for us and we didn’t concede, which is also important for us.”
Orlando Pirates now shift their attention to domestic action where they face Mamelodi Sundowns on 02 January 2021. They then play the return leg at home against Segrada on 06 January.
