Da Cruz rues missed chances as Kaizer Chiefs exit CAF Confederation Cup

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz said his side should have beaten Red Arrows by three or four goals before losing their CAF Confederation Cup tie on penalties on Friday night.

The Amakhosi went into the second leg needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the opening match. They levelled the tie when Bradley Cross scored in the second half, but were unable to make their dominance count as the contest was eventually decided in a shootout.

Da Cruz felt Kaizer Chiefs had created enough opportunities to settle the tie comfortably in normal time, particularly against an opponent he believed they should have overcome.

“We dominated all the game, we created a lot of chances, we lose this game in the penalties, but I think we lost the game before because we missed too much chances, we only scored one goal. Normally, we must win this game three- four zero,” Da Cruz told SABC Sport.

Despite the disappointing result, the coach rejected the suggestion that his team had been affected by a lack of confidence. He instead praised the way Kaizer Chiefs performed both in possession and without the ball.

“No, the team played with confidence, played with a lot of personality, with the ball, without the ball so with what we showed today it’s not an issue of confidence,” Da Cruz said.

The defeat brings Kaizer Chiefs’ CAF Confederation Cup campaign to an end and leaves the team with little time to recover before their next fixture.

The Amakhosi travel to face TS Galaxy in the last 16 of the Carling Knockout on Tuesday. That match comes before the season’s first Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates.

Da Cruz said preparations for the domestic cup competition had already begun, with the squad due to travel to Johannesburg before focusing fully on securing a place in the next round.

“For sure, on Tuesday we have a game in Carling Cup, today we assembled the team, tomorrow we leave for Johannesburg and after from Sunday we prepare Carling Knockout to be qualified for the next round,” he added.