Lioli FC coach Bongani Maseko was gracious in defeat after his side fell 3-0 to Pirates in the first leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary round tie.
The Lesotho champions were second best throughout at the Free State Stadium, where the Soweto giants dominated possession and offered little encouragement to the visitors in front of goal.
Maseko acknowledged that Pirates’ superior quality and tactical flexibility made life difficult for his team.
“Not that they were too good, but we made some defensive errors. Some of our players didn’t shift well. If you play a team of high quality like Pirates, they rotate a lot and made it difficult for my team to move them out of position,” Maseko told SABC Sport.
“That was the difference. In the second half they scored the first, then the second, and after we tried to attack they caught us on the counter. But overall, I’m happy with the performance.”
Despite the loss, the Lioli coach praised the effort of his players, who tried to push forward even as fatigue set in.
“We tried to put energy because some of our boys were tired. We pushed Lebone as our centre-forward and Tloli as two strikers to give us something. But the good thing is Pirates have a strong defence,” he added.
The result puts Pirates firmly in control of the tie heading into the return leg at Orlando Stadium next weekend.
However, Abdeslam Ouaddou’s men will momentarily switch their focus back to domestic competition as they prepare to face Siwelele FC in a Betway Premiership clash at Toyota Stadium on Tuesday.