Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler says his team must approach the second leg with a “positive mindset” when the two sides meet again on Saturday afternoon at the Orlando Stadium. 

The Citizens, after a rather uninspiring first half where they trailed the defending champions courtesy of a Relebohile Mofokeng goal came out firing in the second stanza. They pulled one back through Jaedin Rhodes on the hour mark, and despite dominating proceedings for large parts of the half, they couldn’t secure the win. 

 “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,” Tinkler said after the match. 

 “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.” 

 It was in the first 20 minutes of the second half that Tinkler’s side came to life. Unlike the first 45, they looked more comfortable on the ball, dominated ball possession, and territory, and forced Pirates to sit back and rely on the counter. They were rewarded for their persistence when Rhodes found the back of the net to level matters and set up a tense finish. 

 “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.” 

 It will be a quick turnaround for Tinkler and Co., as they turn their attention to the second leg at Orlando Stadium on Saturday (15:00). He believes a positive mindset, and capitalizing on their opponents’ weaknesses is what’s needed to send the Cape side into the final. 

 “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.”