AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane admitted he would rather face fellow Betway Premiership rivals than lower-division sides after his team suffered a shock 2-1 extra-time defeat to Casric Stars in their Nedbank Cup quarter-final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Casric produced a second giant-killing performance in a row to book their place in the semi-finals, scoring the decisive goal in the second half of extra time after AmaZulu failed to convert a host of chances.
Zwane said the result exposed the dangers of complacency when facing a lower-tier opponent.
“I’ve always said I’d rather play PSL (Premiership) teams than a first division team,” Zwane said after the match. “Especially after playing difficult games against teams like Sundowns, Stellenbosch and Pirates.
“Then you come up against a first division team that has already eliminated Orlando Pirates, but some players think because we’ve beaten teams like Richards Bay and Polokwane away from home, we’re automatically going to the semi-finals. That’s where the danger lies – you win the game in your mind before it even starts.”
Zwane felt AmaZulu had more than enough opportunities to secure victory inside regulation time but lacked the composure required in key moments.
“We started very well and planned not to allow them to hit us on counter-attacks,” he said. “We were actually supposed to score first. We created chances, but we didn’t capitalise.
“Against teams like this, once you give them hope, their confidence grows and they start causing you problems.”
The Usuthu coach described the defeat as a harsh lesson for some of the younger members of his squad, who are still learning how to manage high-pressure knockout matches.
“When I talk about experience, it’s about decision-making,” Zwane said. “In the box, an experienced player doesn’t take too many touches – they finish. Some of our players had the time and space but hesitated or chose the wrong options.”
Zwane also pointed to a demanding recent run of fixtures against Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch FC and Orlando Pirates as a factor that drained the team’s energy levels.
“The games were coming thick and fast and I could see our energy levels dropping,” he said. “But that’s the PSL – if you want to box with the big boys, you have to deal with that.”
Despite the disappointment, Zwane insisted AmaZulu must quickly refocus on the league campaign, where they are currently in fifth place and still have ambitions of finishing strongly.
“We’ve got 10 games left and there’s still a lot to play for,” he said. “We believe we can still finish in the top three, but we need to learn from this and improve.”
