Chippa United coach Brandon Truter admitted his side fell short of expectations in a 4-0 defeat to Golden Arrows in their Carling Knockout Cup last-16 clash on Saturday.
The Chilli Boys struggled from the start to cope with Arrows’ intensity and high pressing game at the King Zwelithini Stadium, with an early goal putting them on the back foot.
Truter said though his players wanted to be competitive, they were lacking in front of goal and could have made better decisions when attempting to play out from the back.
“It’s a tough competition," he said.
"I think this competition has been full of surprises, and unfortunately, things did not go our way."
“But the boys wanted to play and give their best.
"Credit to Arrows, they played well.
"We could have done better with the goals, but they put us under pressure from the start."
The coach said his team had a few promising moments when they managed to bypass Arrows’ high press, but their attempts to build from the back exposed them defensively.
He said his players needed to make better decisions under pressure, particularly when Abafana Bes'thende looked to force mistakes and capitalise on any uncertainty in possession.
“We had one or two moments in the game, especially with the pressure and the high press, where we managed to bypass them.
“We opted to play out in that phase, and that ultimately contributed to our defensive problems," he said.
Truter pointed to the importance of Arrows’ opening goal, saying conceding early changed the complexion of the match and affected his team’s approach as they attempted to find their rhythm.
Chippa struggled to respond effectively, and Arrows took advantage by adding a second goal.
“They got the early goal, and that changed a bit of the dynamics and the mindset, of course.
“We were still half pace, half pace, half pace, and then they got the second.
"Even with the second one, I think we could have done better."
The result brought Chippa’s Carling Knockout Cup campaign to an end, while Arrows progressed to the quarterfinals.
Chippa will have to put the disappointment behind them and shift their attention back to their league campaign.
