Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler has called on his team to maintain a positive outlook as they prepare for the second leg of their MTN8 semifinal clash against Orlando Pirates. The two sides will meet again at Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Despite a disappointing first half that saw them trailing to a Relebohile Mofokeng goal, City rallied in the second stanza. Jaedin Rhodes pulled one back for the Citizens on the hour mark, and they dominated proceedings for much of the remainder of the match. After the first-leg in Cape Town, Tinkler said,
“We knew it would always be a difficult match against Orlando Pirates, as a club, our record against them hasn’t been brilliant over the years,”
“The important factor for me was players going out there, being brave, playing without fear and I felt we didn’t do that in the first half.”
“Our passing was poor, we gave away the ball cheaply, and then we got caught with that one ball behind and found ourselves 1-0 down.”
Tinkler criticized his team’s performance in the opening 45 minutes, highlighting poor passing and a lack of intensity during the first stanza. The turning point came in the second half, when City dominated possession and forced Pirates to sit back and defend. Rhodes’ goal provided a much-needed boost, and Tinkler believes his team can carry that momentum into the return leg.
“In the second half, we dominated, and the idea was to dominate for 90 minutes, and if we had done that, we would’ve come out with more than a draw,” added Tinkler.
“In the first half, the weight and speed of our passes were poor, and we seemed to be static. We got caught with intercepts – and I explained that at halftime and we saw a vast improvement from everyone.
“I expect that we should be playing like that for 90 minutes. I think just that little talk at halftime is what changed the mentality a little bit.”
Tinkler is confident that City can secure a place in the final if they maintain their positive approach and capitalize on Pirates’ weaknesses.
“We identified all strengths and weaknesses they have, now it’s about that discipline, and organization – I don’t think they’re going to be any different, and we need to make sure we capitalize on the mistakes.
“We must go there and score – we must go with the same mentality as if we’re playing at home. We’ve got to dominate, create as many chances as possible, and put the ball in the back of the net.”