Pirates’ Erasmus – we wanted it more than Sundowns | The Citizen

Orlando Pirates striker Kermit Erasmus believes they showed more hunger than Mamelodi Sundowns to defend their MTN8 title on Saturday.

Following a string of poor results, the Buccaneers were understandably underdogs heading into the final of the top 8 competition.

Erasmus and company showed character to take the game into extra time against a Sundowns side that failed to capitalise on numerous goal scoring opportunities as the game ended in a goalless draw.

“We’re not far off where we want to be as a team and we don’t compare ourselves to other teams but we all know that Orlando Pirates is a big team,” Erasmus responded when asked if the gap between themselves and Sundowns is narrowing.

“I’m sure a lot of you guys wrote us off before the game but we’re sitting here as champions. So it shows that with the desire and hunger that we showed to try to win the game, you have to give everything in every game you play. Every game is a new opportunity to prove yourself and that’s what we try to do as a team, to be more consistent and improve.

“Yes, we weren’t that fluid in our … play but in some moments, we had good attacking plays. I think with a little bit of composure, we could have created better chances but finals are always a different ball game. It’s about who wants it more and I think we showed that today.”  

Strong winds

The strong coastal wind affected both team and players needed to adjust to the weather conditions as the ball swerved uncontrollably during the game at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

“With the wind during the game, it wasn’t easy but I think we used it to our advantage in the first half. We had to press high because we knew that the ball would come back because of the wind,” said Erasmus.  

“Overall, it was a great performance from our team and I think we deserved to win today. We deserved to be champions and we showed it in every aspect of the game.”