- Kaizer Chiefs were eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup after a penalty shootout against Red Arrows
- Bradley Cross scored to level the tie on aggregate, but Amakhosi squandered multiple chances to seal the win
- Three Kaizer Chiefs players missed their spot-kicks as Da Cruz opened up about the team's performance
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz has spoken out after his side's dramatic exit from the CAF Confederation Cup, placing the blame squarely on the team's inability to convert their chances rather than on the penalty shootout itself.
Amakhosi were knocked out by Zambian side Red Arrows following a shootout in the second leg of their tie. Bradley Cross gave Chiefs the goal they needed to level the aggregate score at 1-1, forcing the match into penalties. However, Lebohang Maboe, Reeve Frosler, and Ethan Chislett all failed to convert their kicks, sealing the elimination.
Da Cruz explains why Chiefs lost
Speaking to SABC2 after the match, Da Cruz was candid about where he felt the tie was really lost.
"We dominated all the game, we created a lot of chances," he said. "We lost the game on penalties, but we actually lost it before because we created a lot of chances. We only scored one goal; normally, we must win this game 3-0 or 4-0."
The French coach acknowledged the frustration of watching a dominant display ultimately count for nothing, pointing to profligacy in front of goal as the deciding factor across the two legs.
Da Cruz disagrees with common submission
Despite the exit, Da Cruz pushed back against any suggestion that a lack of belief was responsible for the result, insisting the squad carried themselves with the right mentality throughout.
"The team played with confidence, the team played with a lot of personality, with the ball, without the ball," he said. "With what we showed today is not an issue in confidence."
The result ends Kaizer Chiefs' campaign in the competition and will raise further questions about their clinical edge going forward in the season.
Source: Briefly News
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