Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic insists that his side has to improve their defensive work rate to prevent conceding ‘funny’ goals.

The Buccaneers endured their second defeat in the Absa Premiership after suffering a 3-1 loss at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

The Serbian coach believes his side would’ve gotten back into the game if they had managed to convert most of their chances in the final third.

‘First of all, it is very difficult to start a match against an experienced team who have spent so much time together. Then you concede a goal within the first two minutes under funny circumstances,’ Sredojevic told SuperSport TV after the game.

‘They got a clear sitter with Lorch and from the centre line conceding the second. We tried to stay cool and play from the back and we scored in the right time. It’s unbelievable Lorch could not beat [Denis] Onyango with that chance, as he was already on the ground.

‘Unfortunately we can’t talk about what we missed. In the last five minutes we had [Justice] Chabalala to add the numbers upfront. We tried everything and I’m convinced we need to continue playing this way regarding the box-to-box issue, the way we move the ball.

‘We need to improve not to concede goals under funny circumstances and we need to convert our chances. We have 72 hours to recover for the match against Polokwane City, and we can do much better,’ he concluded.

Orlando Pirates will be hoping to bounce back when they take on Polokwane City in the Telkom Knockout Cup quarter-final on Saturday, with kick-off set for 20:15.