Zwane: Photo Credit: AmaZulu FC Media.
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane has revealed the half-time pep-talk he delivered to his players for their wastefulness in a Betway Premiership match they eventually won 2-1 against Royal AM in South Africa on Friday.
The Durban-based team led 1-0 at break courtesy of Hendrick Ekstein’s finish after Royal AM goalkeeper Mondli Mpoto had left his line and misjudged the flight of the ball in the 36th minute.
In his half-time pep talk, Zwane told his players that it was important to finish off the opponents by scoring more goals instead of giving them a lifeline.
“We created chances but we were not clinical. At half-time, we made them aware of the danger of leading 1-0 and that even if we got the second goal and didn't kill off the game with the third, we would be giving them hope,” the former Kaizer Chiefs coach said.
“We were not just clinical and from there we were losing the structures. We wanted to play football for fun instead of killing the game. I was disappointed because in football when a man is down, you push him further down, but in real life you give him a helping hand,” he said.
Usuthu kept dominating the match before Mlondi Mbanjwa scored the second goal with a cross-like shot which passed through a forest of defenders into the net in the 48th minute.
Levy Mashiane reduced the deficit for Royal AM from a rebound after the hosts Ghanaian goalkeeper Richard Ofori had punched an initial low shot in the 78th minute. In the same post-match interview, Royal AM coach Maduka faulted his charges, too, for making mistakes.
“We made so many mistakes in crucial areas. The chances they had and the goals they scored were all due to our mistakes. The opponents wait for you to make mistakes,” the Malawian said.
AmaZulu sit 11th in the log table with only a point separating them from the 13th positioned Royal AM. Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are the joint leaders of the 16-member league.
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