Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates coach Vladimir Vermezovic hailed his team’s deadliness on set-piece plays when they advanced to the Telkom Knockout last four after a 4-1 demolition of Ajax Cape Town on Saturday.
“We managed to score two goals from set-pieces which is unusual for us. Sometimes set-pieces are our weakness but our team was at a high level and the players performed really well,” Vermezovic said.
It was raining goals at a drenched Orlando Stadium in the heart of Soweto, for a spot in the semifinal of the cup tournament.
The slippery encounter, which was played under a torrential downpour, was a wet and at times awkward affair.
An own-goal by Tashreeq Morris, a Siyabonga Sangweni header, followed by second half strikes by Lehlohonolo Majoro and Oupa Manyisa steered the Buccaneers to the last four of the competition.
Vermezovic was pleased his Buccaneers got the job done in the slippery conditions at home.
“It was never going to be easy from the start. We couldn’t play our usual game obviously because of the conditions. It was very difficult, but thanks to our defence that we very strong.”
For the Serbian-born coach the victory was a relief after some inconsistencies in the team’s form.
“In prior games we would play well and still not get the result. There were some decisions that went against us. For me as a coach it’s important to maintain and keep the team at a high level.”
The Buccaneers made five changes to the lacklustre team that lost 2-1 to Mpumalanga Black in the Premiership.
Vermezovic reserved praised for defender Rooi Mahamutsa, who returned to the starting line-up and put on a match-of-the-match performance after struggling with form earlier on in the season.
“We have an experienced defence when we make changes we do it knowing that we have a good squad of players who can compete for positions.”
Pirates were facing their former coach Roger de Sa for the first time since he moved to Ajax earlier this year.
De Sa believed the match could have been suspended considering the slippery conditions.
“You can’t play football in that condition and I was surprised the officials allowed the game to go on. The conditions weren’t suitable for either team.”
The youthful Urban Warriors made some mistakes during the encounter but De Sa said they took away some positives.
“I was disappointed at how we defended the two corner kicks that we conceded which led to two goals. It was good to see though how my players kept trying especially in the beginning.” – Sapa