AmaZulu FC head coach Brandon Truter was happy to walk away with an important away goal following their clash with Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday.
Usuthu opened the scoring through Frank Mhango before Keagan Dolly leveled matters for Amakhosi as the two teams drew 1-1 in an MTN8 semi-final first-leg encounter in Johannesburg.
“Yeah, look they struggled, it’s like we lost it, I think it was an individual mistake with them getting the goal. We had bodies around the ball at the moment, so to block either the cross to come in and then it went over I think two players closed before they tucked it in,” Truter said.
“So luck was on their side in that regard but we contained them, we played through the press in the first half, we were so dominant in the first 20 minutes up until the water break. And yeah, one or two times they were behind us and suddenly we were panicking, we were shouting, so the half-time break could not come soon enough.”
Truter watched on as three members of his side were sent off at the FNB Stadium. Mhango, Veluyeke Zulu and goalkeeper coach Johan Abselon were all dismissed by match referee Victor Gomes.
“And we came out, to lose Zulu, I think it was a soft yellow card, because I saw some of them exactly the same and there was no yellow, but certain people when they are around in games like this and it’s always a spectacle. But it sets it up for a good second leg, we’ll take the away goal home, we’ll finish it in Durban,” he added.
“We were ten men for over 30 minutes, so we can’t open up and give them the lead. We can’t play the way the opponent wants to play. Look, we’ll protect what we have, we’ll take the away goal to Durban and we’ll settle it there.”
AmaZulu will host Chiefs at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the second-leg clash on October 23. Usuthu are scheduled to face Richards Bay at home in a DStv Premiership match on Wednesday.
