Johannesburg - Royal AM could not manufacture an important advantage against Zesco United, as they were held to a goalless stalemate in the first leg of preliminary qualification of the CAF Confederation Cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The home side would've been desperate to score at least one goal in their own backyard with a daunting trip to one of the most difficult stadiums on the continent set to test their resolve on Saturday.
Thwihli Thwahla played with their usual expansive and entertaining tactics, their high energy and offensive football helping them cause a lot of problems for the visitors, but the lack of a cutting edge and killer instinct in the final third saw Zesco escape without a scratch.
Royal AM co-coach Abram 'Wire' Nteo reacted to his side's performance and final result in great displeasure as he felt his men should've won the match and found the back of the net on a number of occasions.
"The result is not the result we wanted, we wanted to score goals and not concede heading into this match," he said
"We did very well not to concede, but we missed a lot of chances, especially in the second half but we're preparing the boys for the second leg which is going to be very tough in Zambia. But the boys are ready and they understand what's in store for us if we score goals and win in Zambia."
The KwaZulu-Natal based club have been embroiled in a lot of controversy off the pitch, losing a coach in Dan Malesela and also on the verge of releasing Serbian striker Samir Nurkovic.
Their administrative issues have seemingly begun to impact results in the pitch, as well as they slowly drift down the DStv Premiership log after making an impressive start to the 2022/23 campaign.
Royal AM will need to triumph away at Zesco if they are to improve on their record of just one victory in the last five matches in all competitions, a period in which they've also conceded six times.
With co-coach Khabo Zondo seemingly back in the fold, the team will, however, have to make do without the services of one of their most trusted soldiers in goalkeeper Patrick Nyame, who suffered a horrific concussion in their last league match against SuperSport United.
IOL Sport