Beaten, but team can hold heads high

Kaitano Tembo (right) bemoaned his side’s misfortune after seeing his SuperSport United team bomb out of the Caf Confederation Cup at the hands of Kenyan outfit Gor Mahia.

United did put up a fight, winning the second leg 2-1 in Pretoria on Wednesday, but the visitors won on the away goals rule as the overall tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.

“I’m gutted and really disappointed with the result but not with the performance. I think we played better when we changed to three at the back and added more attacking power. We created a lot of opportunities and with a little luck I think we deserved to win by more than three goals,” said the Matsatsantsa caretaker coach.

Tembo fielded a relatively youthful side, almost identical to the team which lost 1-0 in Nairobi. As wasteful as they were in front of goal, Tembo remained pleased with his players.

“They are the future and I was very happy with their performance, but obviously with the lack of experience, these things happen. They learn from playing, not from sitting on the bench. When you give them game time they learn from their mistakes and that’s part of their development as well … I am really happy with them,” he said.

The bigger picture for the Pretorians is to haul themselves away from the relegation quagmire as they sit a point above the play-off position with three games to go.

“We rested some of the players as well just to have fresh legs on Wednesday in the league against Free State Stars. It is always important to have a good performance before the next game. We managed to win the game although we did not go through. This gives a bit of confidence going into Wednesday’s game.”

After playing Stars on Wednesday, Matsatsantsa face a tricky-looking encounter at Chippa United, before finishing off their Absa Premiership campaign at home to Baroka FC.