Cracks deepen as Chiefs suffer 3-1 heartbreaking CAF exit after penalty nightmare
Kaizer Chiefs recovered from a first-leg deficit to force a penalty shootout against Zambia’s Red Arrows, but lost 3-1 from the spot and exited the CAF Confederation Cup in the preliminary rounds.
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz bemoaned his team's elimination from the Confederation Cup by Zambia's Red Arrows on Friday. The match ended 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate score. Da Cruz claimed his side dominated the game and created all the chances. "We dominated the whole game, we created all the chances," he told SABC Sport.
"We lost on penalties, but we should have won the game before. We should have won 3-0 or 4-0." Chiefs had to play defensively, as an away goal would have required three more to advance. Despite lethargy in the first half, Chiefs began to play more actively after substitute Mfundo Vilakazi's entrance. Although this marked Chiefs' first win in five games, they failed to progress to the group stages.
Da Cruz dismissed concerns about his team's confidence, stating, "The team plays with confidence and a lot of personality, with and without the ball." The coach also expressed disappointment, saying, "Today we are disappointed but tomorrow we leave for Joburg and on Sunday we will start to prepare for the Carling Cup, and try to qualify for the next round."
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- Chiefs’ Da Cruz on Confed Cup exit – ‘We dominated’ citizen.co.za
- Chiefs knocked out of CAF Confederation Cup sabcnews.com
