Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker says his side must be “brave and courageous” heading into their MTN8 semi-final second leg.
Barker’s side were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Orlando Pirates in their first leg at the weekend, having played the majority of the game with 10 men after Thabo Moloisane was dismissed on 32 minutes.
Ismael Toure had put Stellies ahead at Athlone Stadium deep into first-half stoppage time but Zakhele Lepasa levelled for Bucs on 66 minutes and Deon Hotto sealed the win with his 94th minute goal.
Reflecting on the tie, Barker said on IOL: “When you play against a good team like Pirates, it makes it very difficult (to play with a player less).
“We applied ourselves to get a goal just before the break and that gave us something to hold onto at half-time.
“Up to the time they scored their first goal, we controlled the situation well and didn’t give them too many chances. The tactical commitment and the tactical discipline of the team worked well and they were not creating too many opportunities.
“It was unfortunate that the back-post goal by Lepasa made it 1-1 but I still felt that it was not the worst result to end the game, considering that we were down to 10 men.
“To concede late meant that it made the task tougher but it is not over. We lost today’s battle but we have not lost the war.
“We’ll have to go there, be brave and courageous to get something out of that second-leg game in Orlando.
“I can’t see a reason why we can’t achieve that objective.”