Hungry Lions coach Henry Basie says the Orlando Stadium crowd played a role in his side’s 4-0 loss to Orlando Pirates.
The Motsepe Foundation Championship side lost 4-0 to the Buccaneers in the round of 16 of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.
Tshegofatso Mabasa’s brace sealed the win but the visitors played well in the first half to keep Pirates at bay.
After the match, Basie likened the Orlando Stadium atmosphere to Liverpool’s Anfield
“The occasion ran away with some of them [Hungry Lions players]. They got overwhelmed. The crowd here is so close to you and we tried to coach from the bench but the players couldn’t hear us. I mean we’ve never experienced something like this before,” he said as per Sowetan.
“It [Orlando Stadium atmosphere] is almost like when they talk about the Liverpool Stadium [Anfield], I saw it today… the conditions were tough here. The boys were a little bit nervous,” said the Hungry Lions coach.
Hungry Lions were hoping for an upset Morena Monaheng’s own goal put them on the back foot.
The Northern Cape side are sixth MFC with 31 points, eight behind leaders Magesi. The two teams are set to play each other next month as the battle for PSL promotion heats up.
Basie admitted Hungry Lions were not used to playing at a bigger venue like the Orlando Stadium.
“Where we come from, we are playing on dry grass and our players couldn’t get the grip of the ball tonight… it was difficult to keep the ball the whole time.
“The conditions were really playing a little bit against us. However, we’ve learnt a lot from this game and we can grow from here,” Basie added.
Hungry Lions tamed by Orlando Pirates
He said his side started the game well and needed to play more on good pitches.
“Pirates were exceptional today. We also played well in the first few minutes in the first half. We should have had maybe one session on pitches like this.
“Because we are playing for promotion, the lessons we’ve learnt here tonight give us a better understanding of what’s happening in the Premier League. We obviously need these learnings to take it to the NFD…it can just enhance our performance,” Basie added.
Having lost out to Orlando Pirates, Hungry Lions’s task is to fight for PSL promotion. Trailing by eight points, they need to win all their remaining games of the season to stand a chance.
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