Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has heaped praise on substitute Kbelo Dlamini for his impressive performance during their victory over Maritzburg United in the Nedbank Cup.

The Buccaneers advanced to the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals after claiming a 3-1 victory over the Team of Choice through goals from Dlamini, Deon Hotto and Vincent Pule.

Zinnbauer was pleased with the Soweto giants’ overall performance against Ernst Middendorp’s side but reserved special praise for Dlamini, who had a great impact as a second-half substitute.

‘Dlamini is a player [who] needs small spaces, unbelievable, he’s a top player when he has a tight space, he find always a good solution and he can score, we know this,’ Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV post-match.

‘He was long time out now he comes closer, step by step to the squad and in the team now, he did this very well and I’m happy about this.

‘The players understand it’s not enough what we did in the first half, they have to understand you can’t play 70 or 80% against Maritzburg in a cup game – a cup game is a final game always.

‘All cup games [are] a final game, Maritzburg made this very well, we know this as a player you go casual in the game, we start good but then we’re too casual. In the second half they understand that it’s not possible to win the game with this performance. We changed, the team changed, tactically, this was the right way.’