Durban - Orlando Pirates coach Mandla Ncikazi applauded his side's performance when they booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederations Cup with a 2-0 victory over JS Saoura of Algeria.
Ncikazi also revealed that they took advantage of their opponents inability to field a full strength team on Sunday night.
"Saoura were very unlucky that they were missing a number of their important players, including their captain. But I also think we played very well and we exerted ourselves very well," Ncikazi explained.
The Buccaneers put in a character-defining performance in North Africa, they withstood pressure the entire entire match and managed to hurt their opponents where it mattered most.
Ncikazi's men usually pride themselves on dominating the possession of play and more often than not dictate the pace of the game, but this wasn't the case this time around, having had just 28% of the ball and managing to win just one corner the entire match.
The Sea Robbers showed signs of potentially developing the right mental and psychological capacity to withstand the challenges that comes with continental competition, the kind of elements they'll need if they're to claim this year's competition.
Pirates will be in action again in two weeks’ time when they welcome Al-ittihad, a team that beat them a month ago.
Ncikazi emphasized that their qualification into the knockout stages doesn't alter their plan for this encounter and said they will field a side capable of winning the game.
"For us, all matches are played to win, we are very professional and we will put out our best team against Al-ittihad and try to win the match."
IOL Sport