Junior Dion, centre, of Lamontville Golden Arrows, netted against Mamelodi Sundowns for the second game in a row on Sunday, but it was not enough to get the KZN team to the MTN8 final.
Golden Arrows coach Pitso Dladla was understandably disappointed after his side’s MTN8 final hopes were ended by Mamelodi Sundowns, but he saw plenty to encourage him in a performance built on a carefully considered tactical plan.
Arrows led Sundowns twice on the afternoon before eventually losing 3-2, with the tie finishing 3-3 on aggregate and the Brazilians progressing to a date with Orlando Pirates on the away-goals rule.
For Dladla, the manner of the performance was almost as important as the result.
“I thought we played very well,” he said. “We played according to the tactical plan that we agreed with the players. We also knew that we were not going to match Mamelodi Sundowns in terms of possession, but we made them play in areas that we believe they were not going to hurt us.”
