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Cape Town - Orlando Pirates defender Lucky Lekgwathi has admitted that the Soweto giants have "sacrificed a lot" in order to progress in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Buccaneers are on the cusp of glory after making it all the way to the final of the continental competition, but will have to produce to a strong showing in the return leg after being held to a 1-1 draw by Etoile du Sahel at the Orlando Stadium.
While their form on the continent has been nothing short of superb, their performances on the domestic front have left much to be desired.
Eric Tinkler's men have struggled to replicate their CAF form in the Absa Premiership and currently find themselves languishing down in 11th place, albeit with some games in hand on the teams above.
Lekgwathi is all too aware of the importance of the second-leg clash as an aggregate defeat would see them go home empty-handed.
"We have sacrificed a lot as a club for this Confederation Cup - if you check our log position now you'll know what I'm talking about," Lekgwathi told Soccer Laduma.
"We have to finish this off by winning the trophy because our hard work can't go down the drain. Finishing second will take away from everything we put into this competition.
"We have travelled a very long and tough road to get to the final, so we can't just throw it all away. We have to win this so that we can come back and focus on improving our domestic campaign."
