Ncikazi after Orlando Pirates’ Al Ahli Tripoli win: I’m greedy, but gracious

Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi was pleased with the Caf Confederation Cup win over Al Ahli Tripoli on Sunday evening, but felt his side could have won by more goals.

While the Buccaneers will now be favourites to book their spot in the final, Ncikazi has warned his charges against complacency in the second leg in Johannesburg this coming Sunday.

“The game is not over, it’s half time. We are only leading,” Ncikazi told the media in Libya.

“When we go back home they can do the same thing (score twice). We’ll treat the game very seriously. It’s important to understand the dynamics of African football, a goal away from home is important.

“We’ll treat the match as 0-0, respect them because they are a good team and try and proceed into the next round.

“But we are not going to change anything by doing less, we will prepare for a very good team.”

The Buccaneers could well have won by a larger margin – they created 19 chances on the night, and a handful of those were very good opportunities. While appreciating the effort his side gave, Ncikazi admits he hoped for more.

“I’m just greedy that we could have scored more goals so that at least we know we are settled. But I’m gracious that we are still having the two goals,” the former Golden Arrows coach stated.

Ultimately though Ncikazi was satisfied with the weekend’s mission up to Libya:

“They (Al Ahli) can play direct and are very skillful. One must give credit to our players, they applied themselves very well,” he said.

“And we must thank our team management for all the logistical support,. I thought there was a lot of people that one could thank. I’m just happy and proud of our team, it was important to score away from home and get a result.”

If Pirates reach the final