Usuthu, Downs in six-goal thriller
at the level he would expect and suggested perhaps that the 35‚000 strong crowd‚ the vast majority supporting Chiefs‚ had played a role.
“We started slow‚ I am not sure the reasons behind that‚” he said.
“We prepared nicely for it [the game]. They did exactly what we expected them to do‚ press us high‚ stop us from playing and letting us play the long ball. But we looked like a team that was star-struck … the crowd affected us‚ because it is not every day we have played in front of such a massive crowd. The players weren’t themselves.
“We made Chiefs look like they were world-beaters. But when they scored we seemed to settle and started playing like we were supposed to start the game.”
City are next in action on Wednesday when they travel to Orlando Pirates. – AmaZulu and premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns shared the spoils in a sixgoal thriller at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Sunday.
The two side played to a 3-3 draw in a highly entertaining Absa premiership encounter that had fans at the edge of their seats for the full 90 minutes.
AmaZulu took the lead as early as the fifth minute when Butholezwe Ncube grabbed the lead with a low strike.
Jittery Sundowns goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse was certainly the busier of the two goal minders throughout the first half.
Sundowns‚ who made a number of changes to their starting line-up‚ were finding it difficult to get going inside the first quarter of an hour while the home side were buzzing going forward.
Debutant Phakamani Mahlambi brought Sundowns back into the game a minute before halftime with a close range shot at the near post‚ getting a second bite of the cherry after a mistake from AmaZulu goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs.
The two sides went toe-to-toe towards the end of the first half but failed to find the back of the net. It rained goals in the second half with fans treated to a spectacle that proved to be a great advert for SA football.
Bissau-Guinean forward Tony Silva put Sundown ahead in the second half. But goals from Jabulani Ncomeni, Bonginkosi Ntuli almost sealed the win for Usuthu.
However, Sibusiso Vilakazi found the equaliser five minutes from time.