Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic admits his side ate humble pie, but insists they cannot cry about the loss.

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The Buccaneers had the lion’s share of possession, but could not penetrate the Ajax defence and were made to pay for their poor finishing and bad decision making in the final third.

“For the first goal they scored against the run of play at the corner-kick and that forced us to come out,” Sredojevic told SuperSport after the game.

“Then we carelessly lose the ball in the middle and they counter-attack for the second goal.

“At half time we were looking to regroup and pull the best from us, but we didn’t have the answer against a reinforced Ajax defence.

“In the modern game they call it the ‘Parked Bus’.

“We tried everything and we created chances, but it didn’t go our way. When you attack like we did then you are vulnerable to the counter-attack.

“The team will grow from this. It is like a small kid learning to walk – you walk some steps, some steps you slip but then you are stronger and stronger and stronger.

“I am not happy with the result. It does not reflect what happened on the field, but we need to accept it.

“It is a humble pie lesson and we must move forward.

“We cannot cry. We must go back to the drawing board and learn from the mistakes.”