Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi has shed more insight into a viral video of his half-time team talk in the Soweto Derby, where he helped his side defeat old nemesis Kaizer Chiefs 3-2.
The encounter would turn out to be a five-goal thriller, a rare occurrence in the iconic fixture these days. The Buccaneers had gone into the match on the back of a shock 1-1 draw against relegation-troubled Cape Town Spurs.
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Chiefs' goals came courtesy of speedy Ashley Du Preez, while Monnapule Saleng struck a brace to complement Thabiso Lebitso's strike for the Buccaneers.
At half-time, Bucs had been down 2-1 and following an intense half-time team talk by Maswanganyi and partly Richard Ofori, they returned to score twice to seal the memorable victory.
After the match, footage emerged revealing a portion of Maswanagnyi's team talk that would instantly go viral, with many supporters praising the midfielder's leadership skills, more so for a fairly new player at such a big team.
"There is no pressure, they [Chiefs] are not putting us under pressure. But when we get the ball, we panic and lose the ball," Maswanganyi is seen telling his teammates in the footage.
"There is so much space in the middle, let's calm down and play the football we know. They won't beat us if we believe that we won't lose. Let's go at them. If we lose, it is fine.
????????????????????????????yeses my boy was angry and came back to deliver. pic.twitter.com/SfTSVqnOAL
— Gatsheni 9??1?????????????????????? (@SiyaNdlovu91) March 10, 2024
Speaking on the latest episode of Bucs Camp that aired on SuperSport TV on Sunday, Maswanganyi shed more insight into his inspired team talk.
"I think it was frustration from the game we had played on Wednesday, because on Wednesday, if you look, we didn't play well," he reflected.
"It was a game we should have won, but then on to Saturday, the coach had said that from Wednesday, this [Soweto Derby] was a game where we had to correct it and get the right results for us, for fans and for our families.
"So, for me, I was just saying that we can't give up, from the results we played on Wednesday next thing we come on Saturday and lose again, to a team that I can clearly see that won't beat us."
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