Cavin’s men rise to his challenge
TKO: QUICKFIRE TWO FOR SPOT IN THE QUARTERFINALS
Warned ‘lethargic’ team at the break that they can’t play like that.
Cavin Johnson praised AmaZulu’s improved second-half display, after they picked up an excellent home win over Cape Town City on Tuesday in the last-16 of the Telkom Knockout.
Usuthu took down the MTN8 winners with two goals in three minutes after the break, from Emiliano Tade and Bongi Ntuli, and will now face Orlando Pirates at home in the quarterfinals.
“My team, in the first half, I think we had half a shot at goal,” Johnson told SuperSport TV after the match. “We looked a bit lethargic in the first half.
“Before the second half I spoke to the guys to tell them that they cannot play like that, it is our home game. Although we had a lot of possession, we were not threatening the back of the net...
“They [City] had a lot of chances in the first half, they came close [to scoring].
“In the second half we came out a lot better and our first goal was a fantastic goal, it was what we had worked on at training.
“The second goal was a steal [Ntuli capitalised on a mistake at the back by City from a long throw]. You don’t normally get them, but it happens in cup football ... we are happy we are in there for the next game.”
City coach Benni McCarthy, meanwhile, was unhappy with his players for not getting in enough positions to score.
“It was a tough game, two teams that went for it, very open football,” McCarthy told SuperSport TV.
“In the first half we did amazingly well and created space for ourselves where we freed Craig Martin and [Gift] Links in behind the fullbacks, but it was the same old, same old.
“The last two weeks all we have done is offensive football, playing in between the lines, getting in behind and finishing.
“Today we needed to do exactly what we had done in training.
“But I think it is clear, if you don’t score what has happened?
“It just gets frustrating when players don’t want to take responsibility and put the bloody ball in the back of the net ... no one wants to get into a position where they should score.”