AmaZulu FC coach Arthur Zwane has identified several key factors that contributed to his team’s MTN8 quarter-final defeat against Stellenbosch FC.
Zwane’s troops were knocked out of the MTN8 in the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon, suffering a 3-2 defeat to Stellies at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
The club missed out on an opportunity to advance to the last four. They join Polokwane City FC, Richards Bay FC and TS Galaxy, who were also eliminated this weekend.
Zwane believes one of the factors for their defeat was losing the ball cheaply.”We always knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy one playing against a well-oiled Stellenbosch team,” he told Journalists.
“But we had to allow them to have the ball in areas where we knew they would not hurt us. I think we did tremendously well. At some point, you could see their frustration.”
THE PROBLEM AMAZULU FC HAD DURING THE LOSS TO STELLENBOSCH FC
“The problem we had was that whenever we had turnovers, we actually lost the ball cheaply,” he said.
“The goal that they scored comes from those moments I just mentioned. I still believe that we showed them respect at some point, but whenever we imposed ourselves, we also put them under pressure.”
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Meanwhile, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker was not impressed with the condition of the pitch despite the win. However, Barker maintains that for them to become champions, they have to adjust to any condition.
“Like you saw the players cramping, it was the first game of the season, playing 120 minutes. But it was a tough game, and I think the pitch was a little bit difficult. The ball sort of bounced a lot. It wasn’t really conducive to how we want to play.
“But be as it may, if you ever want to win trophies and be in the semi-finals. Sometimes, you just have to find a way to win a game, and I think today we found a way.”
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