Zwane: AmaZulu Missed Big Opportunity In The Nedbank Cup
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane was left frustrated after his side crashed out of the Nedbank Cup, admitting the defeat to Casric Stars was a painful missed opportunity.
Usuthu were beaten 2–1 by Casric Stars after extra time in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Zwane, who won this competition when it was known as the Absa Cup in 2006 with Kaizer Chiefs against Orlando Pirates at the nearby Kings Park Stadium, said he had anticipated a difficult encounter against the Motsepe Foundation Championship side.
He explained that matches against lower-division teams can sometimes cause players to drop their guard.
AmaZulu had reached the quarter-finals after beating Betway Premiership sides Polokwane City in the first round and Richards Bay in the round of 16.
The defeat was particularly disappointing for Usuthu, especially with traditional heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns — who have dominated the competition in the past five seasons — already eliminated in the early rounds.
“It was a big missed opportunity,” said Zwane after the match.
“I always say I would rather play against PSL teams than Motsepe Foundation Championship teams, especially after playing two Betway Premiership teams in the previous rounds.
“They are very difficult teams to beat. Some of our players might think it is going to be easy after beating Polokwane City and Richards Bay away and believe we will automatically reach the semi-finals. That is where the danger is.
“When I talk about experience, most of our boys have never been at this stage. They think things will just come easily, and unfortunately this was a big wake-up call.
“This was a big miss for us. We desperately needed this game for many reasons — to build the team, build belief, change the mentality and see how they cope when the going gets tough.
“Trust me, it shows we are not ready because we had no business losing this game, to be quite honest. Even in extra time, we still had no business losing.”
The defeat means AmaZulu are now without a win in four matches in all competitions since beating Richards Bay last month in the round of 16.
Despite fielding a relatively youthful squad, Usuthu remain fifth in the Betway Premiership standings with 31 points from 20 matches.
While their Nedbank Cup journey has ended, Zwane insists the focus now shifts fully to the league campaign.
“It is up to us now to put all our eggs in one basket in the league and go all out to win the remaining games so that we can finish in a respectable position — nothing less than third or fourth,” said Zwane.
Pic courtesy of Darren Stewart
