Kaizer Chiefs' CAF Confederation Cup campaign ended in painful fashion on Friday night as they were eliminated by Zambian side Red Arrows following a 3-2 penalty shootout defeat at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Amakhosi won the second leg 1-0 through a second-half header from Bradley Cross, levelling the aggregate score at 1-1 after losing the first leg 1-0 in Ndola the previous week. With neither side able to force a winner in normal time, the tie went to penalties, where Chiefs missed three of their five kicks.
Lebohang Maboe, Reeve Frosler and Ethan Chislett all failed from the spot as Red Arrows held their nerve to advance to the group stages. The result ends Chiefs' hopes of reaching the group phase for a second successive season.
Dominant but wasteful
Fernando da Cruz's side controlled large portions of the contest, particularly after the introduction of Mfundo Vilakazi in the second half. The substitute's free-kick in the 66th minute was met powerfully by Cross, who headed home to cancel out Red Arrows' first-leg advantage.
However, Chiefs were repeatedly wastefu in front of goal. Mduduzi Shabalala squandered two clear opportunities that could have sealed progression without the need for a shootout. Coach da Cruz was blunt in his assessment afterwards.
“We dominated all the game, we created a lot of chances,” he said. “We lost the game on penalties, but we actually lost it before because we created a lot of chances. We only scored one goal; normally we must win this game 3-0 or 4-0.”
Da Cruz rejected suggestions that a lack of confidence was the issue, insisting his players showed personality both with and without the ball.
Growing pressure
The early exit adds to the scrutiny on da Cruz and the technical team. Chiefs must now quickly shift focus to domestic duties. They face TS Galaxy in the last 16 of the Carling Knockout Cup on Tuesday before the first Soweto derby of the season against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on 31 October.
For a club of Chiefs' stature and resources, crashing out in the preliminary rounds to Red Arrows will be viewed as a significant disappointment. The inability to convert dominance into goals once again proved costly on the continental stage.