Photo Credit - AmaZulu FC Media.
AmaZulu FC head coach Arthur Zwane was left disappointed with the time-wasting antics used by champions Mamelodi Sundowns during their 2-0 Betway Premiership defeat at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday.
Coming from a draw in their previous encounter against Golden Arrows, Masandawana was looking to bounce back to winning ways and to further stamp on their dominance on top of the league table. And they prevailed when second half goals from Peter Shalulile and Arthur Sales enabled them to bag maximum points from the closely fought battle.
However, Zwane did not take the outcome of the game, which finally ended their three game unbeaten run lightly, openly criticising Sundowns of instructing ball boys to delay play when they had scored their two goals, and thus denying AmaZulu a chance for a comeback.
“I’ll take you back to the game. How many times did Sundowns try to press us but didn’t get the ball? It tells you about the quality we have in the team. Usually, when Sundowns press you, they’ll get the ball, but with us they couldn’t do that. I think about six times we came out of the press,” Zwane said as quoted by FARPost.
“In the first half, they were also frustrated, but the problem is when we got to the final third, we didn’t hurt them but with them; when they come out, they’ll hurt you. So that was the difference.
“Sundowns tried to press in numbers, but we made sure because we also have quality players that can come out of high press, but the final ball to get the right player at the right time was lacking.
“We got two 1v1 situations, and with the right pass, you go straight to the goalkeeper. We could have gone to half-time leading 1-0. It comes with confidence, but when Sundowns felt pressure, they started kicking the ball, and even their ball boys started rolling the ball, so we are learning, and we’ll also do the same to them.”
The 51-year-old Zwane concluded: “They are going to have to understand in future, we’ll teach our ball boys to do the same, to say that now we’re leading and we are playing Sundowns, let’s roll the ball and let them come get it.”
“We then fight with the referee, its fine. You change the ball boy and bring another one, we tell him the same thing, so we learn that’s football.”
The Brazilians are currently sitting at the top of the log on 58 points while the defeat left AmaZulu lying seventh with 30 points.
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