Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler said he could not have asked any more from his players in a fighting 1-0 defeat to Etoile Du Sahel in yesterday's CAF Confederation Cup final second leg 1-0 defeat here.
Clearly disappointed and deflated having watched his side give Etoile a war in front of a superbly vocal home crowd to concede the final 2-1 on aggregate, Tinkler said Bucs started nervously.
"I think we did give it all. I'm very, very proud of the boys," Tinkler said. "We started a bit nervy in the first half. The players were a bit scared to concede. We were giving the ball away cheaply and playing the long ball.
"Etoile were winning the second ball. They were a bit quicker than us. But I felt the goal they got was fortuitous. Unfortunately it ricocheted off our own player, caught Felipe Ovono by surprise and went into the back of the net.
"The best chance in the first half actually came from us. I thought Thabo Rakhale should have done a lot better, and we would have gone in at half time at least 1-1, with everything open again.
"In the second half we responded extremely well. We told the players to put the ball on the deck, pass it and move with a lot more speed."
The coach said that conceding Ammar Jemal's late goal in the first leg at Orlando Stadium gave Etoile the freedom to play with less pressure at home.
Tinkler was impressed with how the Tunisian club utilised that advantage to muscle to a lead in the first half here.
"In the first half they showed a lot more aggression. Physically they are stronger than us. And we can't make it that sort of battle.
"But they're a good team. No-one can take that away from them. And a team who have shown at home they are formidable."
Jemal scored for the second successive week to ensure Pirates lost their second continental final in three years, having been defeated by Egypt's Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League in 2013.
The Buccaneers were seeking their first Confed trophy, having won the 1995 Champions Cup and 1996 Super Cup. But they will have to contend with no continental football for the next year.
Bucs go down fighting
Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler said he could not have asked any more from his players in a fighting 1-0 defeat to Etoile Du Sahel in yesterday's CAF Confederation Cup final second leg 1-0 defeat here.
Clearly disappointed and deflated having watched his side give Etoile a war in front of a superbly vocal home crowd to concede the final 2-1 on aggregate, Tinkler said Bucs started nervously.
"I think we did give it all. I'm very, very proud of the boys," Tinkler said. "We started a bit nervy in the first half. The players were a bit scared to concede. We were giving the ball away cheaply and playing the long ball.
"Etoile were winning the second ball. They were a bit quicker than us. But I felt the goal they got was fortuitous. Unfortunately it ricocheted off our own player, caught Felipe Ovono by surprise and went into the back of the net.
"The best chance in the first half actually came from us. I thought Thabo Rakhale should have done a lot better, and we would have gone in at half time at least 1-1, with everything open again.
"In the second half we responded extremely well. We told the players to put the ball on the deck, pass it and move with a lot more speed."
The coach said that conceding Ammar Jemal's late goal in the first leg at Orlando Stadium gave Etoile the freedom to play with less pressure at home.
Tinkler was impressed with how the Tunisian club utilised that advantage to muscle to a lead in the first half here.
"In the first half they showed a lot more aggression. Physically they are stronger than us. And we can't make it that sort of battle.
"But they're a good team. No-one can take that away from them. And a team who have shown at home they are formidable."
Jemal scored for the second successive week to ensure Pirates lost their second continental final in three years, having been defeated by Egypt's Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League in 2013.
The Buccaneers were seeking their first Confed trophy, having won the 1995 Champions Cup and 1996 Super Cup. But they will have to contend with no continental football for the next year.
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