Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer was pleased after seeing his side record a 2-0 victory over relegation-battlers Maritzburg United on Sunday.
After what was a difficult first-half, halftime substitute Vincent Pule grabbed a brace to lead his side to victory. The Buccaneers, who are closing in on a CAF Champions League spot finish, are just behind second-placed Amazulu in fourth by two points.
“A very difficult first half. They were very aggressive in the high press. It took a long time for us to come into the game,” Zinnbauer said.
“Second half was much better. The decisions, we brought a little bit more freshness. And then I’m happy we have Pule. I saw Pepe [Thabiso Sesane] was the Man of the Match. He made a good game. First game in the starting line-up.
“The result was important for us after the Sundowns game [a Nedbank Cup quarterfinal defeat on Thursday]. We know we have a lot of tired players. We are happy about the result and we are looking forward to our next game.
“[Thabang] Monare and Ben [Motshwari] have had a lot of games. Ben was a bit tired in the muscles. We needed him as a player. He had two times he could score. We changed a little bit the tactics. Pule was very forward-thinking and the two goals were good.
“I’m happy about the clean sheet. Pepe and Tsiki [Ntsikelelo Nyauza] made a good game. [Abel] Mabasa was a long time out. He came back and did well as a fullback and then we changed him to a six and he did well. He can play in both positions. Also {Paseka] Mako was priceless. He runs, he fights, he makes metres.
“The team works as a unit and it’s important to keep a clean sheet. We have Wayne [Sandilands] with a lot of experience. Yes, the defence was good today.”
CAF Confederation Cup action is next for Pirates and they will host ES Setif in their penultimate group game at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday. A win will more or less see Pirates book a spot in the quarter-finals but a loss could leave them in a tricky position ahead of their final fixture. However, spirits will be high going into that fixture given the nature of their most recent win.