‘I said to the coach the better team lost’: Larsen on Magesi shocking Pirates

Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen has acknowledged their shock 3-2 victory over Orlando Pirates cannot define the Limpopo club's debut season in the Premier Soccer League and he will urge his players to continue working hard to achieve more such results.

Larsen, a former Pirates player, steered his team to a surprise win over Buccaneers at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, knocking Jose Riveiro's team out in the first round of the Carling Knockout Cup — the only trophy Bucs have not won in Riveiro's two-and-a-third seasons at the club. 

The plan for Larsen was to allow Pirates possession but make sure Magesi used their chances in the counterattack. It worked like a charm as his team raced to a 3-0 halftime lead — via first-half goals by Delano Abrahams (32nd minute), Thabiso Sesame (own goal, 39th) and Edmore Chirambadare (fourth minute of first-half added time) — despite Bucs having dominated possession and chances.   

Pirates did come back strong in the second half but late goals by Kabelo Dlamini (86th) and Evidence Makgopa (89th) were not enough to cancel out the damage done.

“I thought in the first half our gameplan was executed to perfection,” Larsen said.

“We wanted to remain compact and we knew opportunities would arise with the turnovers of possession and space left behind.

“I think we deservedly took the lead. What was important for us was to be clinical and I thought that's exactly what we were. We took our chances very, very well.

“My fear was when you poke the bear you must be careful of what's going to come and that's exactly what happened in the second half.”

Larsen said he knew his charges were never going to match Pirates' players with their set of skills, but sticking to their plan in both halves won them their first match against Bucs.

“I said to the coach [Riveiro] that the better team lost today. We worked very hard and tried to be structured and organised as possible, but at the end we just about held on with that onslaught from Pirates.

“Credit must go to them for not giving up and dominating us the way they did. That was always expected against one of the in-form teams in the league. I thought my players were exceptional in the way they executed our gameplan.”

Larsen said winning this match will boost the confidence of his team, especially those young players who are new in the league and were playing their fourth game at top-flight level.

“It's the first time they play on this stage, first time they're rubbing shoulders with national team players. I have kept reminding them we all started somewhere but you've got to learn quicker and grow quicker.”

He stressed the victory does not mean Magesi are ready to win every match in the PSL. The Durbanite said his young side still have a lot to learn.

“Are we ready? — maybe not but we're growing. We've got a long, long way to go as a club to improve in all facets of the game. We'll be trying to improve the club. 

“We're short of four to five really quality players but with the limited budget the club has it's very difficult to bring in that calibre of players. I understand that as a coach and I will keep working with what I have.”

Beating Pirates in the Carling also does not mean Magesi now have an easy ride to the final, Larsen said.

“I'm not naive to think that this victory means we can now go all the way and win this cup. What it [victory] does do is give us a little spring in our step. We look forward to the next draw and we'll try to put in a better performance than we did today and see what happens.

“We're rookies in the league, our first time in the cup, so we've got to earn our respect and work hard to earn respect from our peers. I'm not naive, nor is anyone in our club, to think we can now go and beat everyone because we've beaten Orlando Pirates.

“It's a feather in our cap, yes, but every game is different.”