“He Didn’t Know The Actual Score”: Dladla On Dion’s Wild MTN8 Away-Goal Confusion

Golden Arrows coach Pitso Dladla has revealed that, despite the confusion after their second goal, his players had discussed the away-goal permutations before their dramatic MTN8 semifinal defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday.

Arrows’ MTN8 campaign came to an end despite a brave performance, with Sundowns winning the second leg 3-2 to level the tie 3-3 on aggregate.

The Brazilians progressed to the final on the away-goal rule, having scored three goals away from home compared to Arrows’ one.

However, the manner in which Arrows reacted after scoring their second goal raised questions over whether all the players fully understood the situation.

When Arrows scored their second goal, several players celebrated as though the result had taken the tie to a penalty shootout. Dladla was seen calling on his players to stop celebrating and get back to the game, but they continued celebrating their goal.

After the match, striker Junior Dion also appeared confused and asked Dladla how they had lost the game.

Speaking to SuperSport TV after the match, Dladla explained that the team had discussed all the possible scenarios before kick-off and insisted that the players were aware of the away-goal rule.

“Yeah, we discussed all the permutations before the game,” he said on SuperSport TV.

“If you remember my interview before the match, I said we needed to treat today’s game in isolation because we were anticipating scenarios like this.

“If Sundowns scored more than one goal, it meant the away-goal advantage would be with them because we had only scored one goal in the first leg.

“When I spoke to him (Dion), he didn’t know the actual score of the game. He thought we were leading 3-2, and I told him, ‘No, it’s 3-0.’ That meant the away-goal advantage was going to Sundowns.

“So, we were fully aware of the different permutations going into the game.”

Dladla also reflected on his team’s performance, admitting that individual mistakes and lapses in concentration contributed to Arrows’ defeat.

“Yeah, it was a tough game, but we expected everything that happened today,” he added.

“I think we made some individual technical errors and also lost concentration at times when we were defending.

“However, I believe the boys played very well. For us to come here and score those goals was something we believed we could do.

“I really, really feel sorry for the players. They gave everything they could and did everything possible to get a positive result.”

With Arrows eliminated, Sundowns will face defending champions Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 final on 10 October.

Pirates secured their place in the final after beating Sekhukhune United on Saturday.

The final will also be a repeat of the 202/24 MTN8 final, when Pirates defeated Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium to lift the trophy.