Durban — Kaizer Chiefs were held to a 1-1 draw by a visiting AmaZulu in the first leg of their MTN8 semi-final clash at FNB Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Amakhosi fought back from a goal down to restore parity in the second half through substitute Keagan Dolly, however they were left frustrated as they failed to grab the advantage in the first leg.
Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane cut a disappointed figure in his post-match interview as he rued his team's missed opportunities that have placed all the pressure on his Chiefs team ahead of the second leg in Durban in three weeks’ time.
"We could've easily scored four, five or six goals today but it wasn't to be in terms of scoring goals," Zwane told SuperSport TV
"But we've just made it a whole lot more difficult for ourselves by conceding the goal and now we're heading to Durban having to win the game without conceding, but the most important thing for us is scoring those goals.
Zwane's team, like they've done on a number of occasions this campaign had a lapse of concentration at the back that allowed former Orlando Pirates striker Gabadinho Mhango to score a vital away goal for the visitors.
Chiefs were guilty of missing a couple of sitters as they increased their tempo in search of an equaliser.
Chiefs forward Ashley Du Preez will have nightmares after the match, as he blazed over the bar with nothing but an open goal in front of him.
The hosts took their foot off the pedal somewhat, after grabbing their equaliser and Zwane revealed his bemusement as he continued to rally his troops forward in search of victory.
"We have done well today and just couldn't take our chances, but we just dropped the tempo a bit after we scored the equaliser and I don't know why," he said
"I told them we needed to keep the tempo high and continue to force them into mistakes because at that point they were dead and kept giving us the ball."
The two teams will meet again on 23 October at Moses Mabhida Stadium for the second leg.
IOL Sport