Patrick Maswanganyi opened the scoring at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium after 16 minutes.
Daniel Msendami levelled for Gallants on the stroke of half-time and substitute Jaisen Clifford netted a winner in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the game.
Pirates wasted a number of chances to kill off the tie in the first half, explained Nduli.
He said in the Citizens: “I think we started the game well and created a lot of chances, but we only managed to score one. With the chances we created, the game should have been done and dusted in the first half. We threw away the three points. We conceded silly goals.”
Pirates have now lost their opening two Betway Premiership matches, after going down 1-0 to Sekhukhune United at the weekend.
They are next in action against Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-finals at home on Saturday.
The race for a place in the MTN8 final heats up this weekend as Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch, and Sekhukhune United battle for first-leg supremacy in the semi-finals.
Stellenbosch FC are gearing up to host Sekhukhune United in a high-stakes first leg of the MTN8 Cup semifinals at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off slated for 18:00.
Marumo Gallants have resigned former player Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo following his impressive displays for Bafana Bafana at the ongoing African Nations Championship.
Orlando Pirates will be looking to extend their MTN8 winning streak against Mamelodi Sundowns in their first leg semi-final at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
