‘Orlando Pirates played with 12, not 11’ – Fernando da Cruz fumes over refereeing after Kaizer Chiefs’ Soweto derby defeat

Fernando da Cruz has pointed to two major factors behind Kaizer Chiefs’ painful Soweto derby defeat to Orlando Pirates, questioning referee Luxolo Badi’s decisions while admitting his team failed to capitalise on a dominant first-half display.

Chiefs suffered a 2-1 loss to their fiercest rivals at FNB Stadium on Saturday, extending their winless league run against Pirates to seven matches, comprising six defeats and one draw.

The result also stretched Amakhosi’s overall winless streak in the league to four consecutive games, piling further pressure on Da Cruz as his side struggles to find consistency in the Betway Premiership.

The French coach was visibly disappointed after the encounter, arguing that the outcome could have been different had his players been more clinical in front of goal and the officials made what he considered the correct decisions.

“The analysis of the match is very easy – the match should have finished in the first half for two reasons: We lacked efficiency – we should have led 2-0 or 3-0 in the first half – and secondly, Pirates played with 12, not 11,” Da Cruz said.

Da Cruz questions referee after Pirates escape red card

The Chiefs coach did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating, specifically questioning the validity of Pirates’ opening goal and the failure to send off one of their players.

Da Cruz maintained that Yanela Mbuthuma was offside in the build-up to his goal, while also arguing that another Pirates player should have received a second yellow card and consequently been dismissed.

“The first goal (scored by Yanela Mbuthuma) was offside, and then a Pirates player should have received a second yellow card and subsequently a red card. Normally, we should have played 11 against 10, not 11 versus 11.”

His comments came after Chiefs failed to translate their first-half superiority into a commanding advantage, allowing Pirates to remain in the contest before taking control after the interval.

Even Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admitted that his initial tactical approach had not worked as intended during the opening period.

Second-half fatigue exposes Chiefs’ weaknesses

While frustrated with the refereeing, Da Cruz also acknowledged that his team lost its attacking threat considerably after the break.

Chiefs struggled to maintain their first-half intensity, with fatigue becoming increasingly evident as Pirates took advantage of the hosts’ declining performance.

The coach conceded that his players were fortunate not to concede more goals during the closing stages but insisted their struggles were largely down to tiredness rather than the quality of chances created by their opponents.

“In the second half, we were less dangerous in our game,” Da Cruz admitted. “We finished the last 30 minutes tired, and we could have conceded three more goals. But it was not due to the chances that Pirates created; it was due to tiredness. But I was happy with the overall performance.”

Despite the defeat, the Frenchman remained satisfied with aspects of his team’s display, particularly their application before the break.

Chiefs face pressure to rescue domestic campaign

The defeat leaves Chiefs with little room for further mistakes as they attempt to keep their season on track.

Da Cruz had briefly eased the pressure on his position with a convincing 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy in the Carling Knockout Cup round of 16 on Tuesday. That result was followed by a public show of support from sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr.

However, Saturday’s derby setback has brought renewed scrutiny, with Amakhosi now needing an immediate response when they face Siwelele in the Carling Knockout quarter-finals next weekend.

Their remaining domestic ambitions also include the Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup, making the upcoming fixtures increasingly important.

Chiefs are currently 11 points behind the league leaders, leaving Da Cruz with a significant gap to bridge if they are to revive their title ambitions.

While the coach remains convinced that his side can turn its league campaign around, addressing their second-half decline and improving their finishing will be crucial to ending their disappointing run of results.