“I think the best opportunity was from us carrying the ball, keeping the ball and securing the ball and that led to the goal.”
Ntseki said the draw was definitely not a result Chiefs planned for and won’t be celebrated as his team wanted to put themselves at an advantage ahead of the second leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium on September 23.
“Our plan, playing at home, was obviously to be in the game and we can’t be celebrating a draw because we are fully aware it’s a cup game and every moment you have in the ball moment you manage to score a goal, is a moment to celebrate at the end of the game.
“We were looking forward to winning this one so we could go into the second leg with confidence in terms of how we play.
“So it's a disappointment and a setback we have to overcome. And in overcoming the setback there are the lessons we learnt in the game we played against them in the league, and also, the lessons we learnt against them today playing in a cup game.
“But I still believe and feel that we can do better. The plan for us was to win this game because I think we had done the necessary analysis and if we were to play one half — the second half — we could have won this game.”
'If we were to play one half we could have won': Chiefs coach Ntseki
Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki was disappointed by his players’ failure to execute the plan they had devised to beat Mamelodi Sundowns in their MTN8 semifinal first leg but remains optimistic about the away second leg.
Amakhosi let victory slip away, allowing Khuliso Mudau to net an equaliser in referee’s optional time, which saw the first leg at FNB Stadium on Saturday end in a 1-1 draw. Venezuelan midfield maestro Edson Castillo opened the scoring for Chiefs in the 61st minute.
While Chiefs broke the deadlock, Sundowns enjoyed huge dominance against the overly defensive hosts, the Brazilians enjoying 71% of the possession.
Ntseki, who had led the side to back-to-back DStv Premiership victories before Saturday, said sitting deep was not the plan Chiefs formulated for the match.
“I’m disappointed,” he said afterwards. “I think the overall summation of the game was it was not what we wanted and what we planned. I think the less said about the first half, the better.
“When it comes to the second half, we applied ourselves very well. We were a bit aggressive without the ball, a bit confident on the ball. There was movement of the ball that created some opportunities.
“I think the best opportunity was from us carrying the ball, keeping the ball and securing the ball and that led to the goal.”
Ntseki said the draw was definitely not a result Chiefs planned for and won’t be celebrated as his team wanted to put themselves at an advantage ahead of the second leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium on September 23.
“Our plan, playing at home, was obviously to be in the game and we can’t be celebrating a draw because we are fully aware it’s a cup game and every moment you have in the ball moment you manage to score a goal, is a moment to celebrate at the end of the game.
“We were looking forward to winning this one so we could go into the second leg with confidence in terms of how we play.
“So it's a disappointment and a setback we have to overcome. And in overcoming the setback there are the lessons we learnt in the game we played against them in the league, and also, the lessons we learnt against them today playing in a cup game.
“But I still believe and feel that we can do better. The plan for us was to win this game because I think we had done the necessary analysis and if we were to play one half — the second half — we could have won this game.”
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