Phuti Mohafe didn’t hold back after his side’s midweek tussle with Orlando Pirates, boldly stating that the Buccaneers will fall short in the Betway Premiership title race if they don’t shift gears.
Despite the Soweto giants securing maximum points at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday night, the Polokwane City mentor insists that “playing like this” won’t be enough to dethrone the champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Pirates survived a late scare to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory over Polokwane City in Polokwane, a result that keeps the Buccaneers perched firmly at the summit of the Betway Premiership.
While Sundowns matched the scoreline in their triumph over Golden Arrows at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on the same night, the Sea Robbers maintain their lead by virtue of a superior goal difference as the title race intensifies.
PHUTI MOHAFE NOT IMPRESSED WITH ORLANDO PIRATES’ DISPLAY
However, Mohafe was not impressed with how the Buccaneers played against them and warned they might not win the league if they continue to play the way they did.
“You see, if they can continue playing like this, I don’t see them winning the championship. If they will play the way they played today [Wednesday night],” said Mohafe.
“Not knowing that, maybe our tactical aspects or our tactical acumen were spot on. Maybe we planned very well for them, and that is why they struggled against us. But with the performance that they gave, I don’t see them becoming champions.”
POLOKWANE CITY COACH FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT DEFEAT
Mohafe has described the loss as difficult to accept and believes a draw would have been a true reflection of the match.
“It’s a difficult defeat to accept, but you check on how the players played, they gave a good account of themselves,” he added.
“It was a first loss at home, and it is difficult to accept. But we were playing one of the big teams in Africa. A team that is free scoring and a team that is not conceding many goals. So scoring against them for us was a plus because we saw that there are certain things that they are not good at. It’s not a good defeat because a good reflection of the match would have been a draw.”
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