Da Cruz says Chiefs deserved more after CAF Confederation Cup exit

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz says his team’s missed opportunities cost them a place in the CAF Confederation Cup group stages after they were eliminated by Zambia’s Red Arrows on penalties at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday.

AmaKhosi won the second leg 1-0, cancelling out Red Arrows’ identical victory in the first leg in Ndola and leaving the tie level at 1-1 on aggregate.

But the visitors held their nerve in the shootout, winning 3-2 to end Chiefs’ continental campaign.

Da Cruz, who has faced increasing criticism after a series of inconsistent results, said Chiefs had controlled the match and created enough chances to progress.

“When we win or lose we have to analyse the game very closely, and when you analyse this game it’s very clear that we dominated the game and we created a lot of chances to win. We are heading in the right direction.”

The defeat came in front of a noticeably sparse crowd at Moses Mabhida Stadium, despite Chiefs’ traditionally strong support in Durban. Reported ticketing problems were understood to have contributed to the low attendance, while the turnout also reflected growing frustration among supporters after the club’s recent difficulties.

Asked about the lack of fans for an important continental fixture, Da Cruz called on the AmaKhosi faithful to continue backing the team and allow his players time to improve.

“The fans must stay behind us and push us to improve. When you see the type of football the team played today it is very positive so we must keep on looking forward and I’m sure our luck will turn.”

Chiefs must now quickly turn their attention to domestic competition, with a Carling Knockout match against TS Galaxy scheduled for Tuesday.

The end of their CAF Confederation Cup involvement leaves the domestic cup as another opportunity for AmaKhosi to compete for silverware. Da Cruz believes the rapid turnaround may benefit his squad by giving them an immediate chance to move on from the disappointment against Red Arrows and focus on their next match.

Da Cruz also explained the goalkeeping decision that saw Bruce Bvuma start the return leg.

Renaldo Leaner had played in the opening match in Ndola because first-choice goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was unavailable with an injury. Leaner was then injured during the team’s final training session before Friday’s fixture and was ruled out of the second leg.

That forced Bvuma back into the starting line-up as Chiefs attempted to overturn the first-leg deficit, but their victory was ultimately not enough to prevent Red Arrows from advancing through the shootout.