Posted in News, Team News on Apr 17, 2023.
Coach Arthur Zwane was full of praise for the commitment of his players after they ground out a hard-fought, yet well-deserved 2-1 victory after extra time over Royal AM at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday, to book a spot in the semi-finals of this year’s Nedbank Cup.
Amakhosi had to come from falling a goal behind, but refused to give up on their dream of lifting a Cup in front of their loyal fans this season, and clawed their way back to take the team a step closer to achieving their ambition of putting silverware back in the Amakhosi trophy cabinet.
“Though we did not create chances in the opening 20 to 25 minutes, we were getting out of the pressing traps they set for us. We gave away a goal against the run of play, and were lucky not to concede a second in similar fashion from a corner,” Zwane said after the match, adding “but because of the pressure we applied we forced them to make a mistake – that’s our game; it has been working for us, a high tempo game – which resulted in them scoring an own goal.
“From that moment I knew it was going to be us who would get the second goal. We went into half-time knowing very well that we were still in control. In the second half, the half-chances we created could have led to goal scoring opportunities but our finishing let us down, which is an area we continue to work on improving.”
With the scores locked at 1-1 after the regulation 90 minutes, Amakhosi stepped up in the 30 minutes of extra time and found the winning goal that takes them through to the last four, where they will face Orlando Pirates for a place in the final.
“We went all the way to extra time and, with the way we play, I knew we stood a good chance of getting the second goal because Royal AM’s legs were gone. We were first to every ball and created chances again. I can’t fault the effort of my players. They came here with only one thing on their minds. They wanted to go through to the semi-final. I am actually proud of the attitude they showed today and the hunger, dedication and discipline. That’s all we needed,” he concluded.
