AmaZulu head coach Benni McCarthy says his side was unfortunate to get the win against leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, while expressing his admiration for the quality of football on display at both ends.
The top-of-the-table clash at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday saw both sides share the spoils although Usuthu dropped down to third place after Golden Arrows claimed a victory over SuperSport United.
McCarthy says their game with Sundowns was the most quality goalless draw of the season so far, with both sides putting up a good fight in search of crucial three points.
“Very tough game, like I told you it’s going to be a very tactical game between the two teams but like I said, also we’re the home team, we’re not going to make it easy for anyone to just come and dictate play,” McCarthy said after the match.
“We took the fight to them but I think it’s a very entertaining 0-0 draw we’ve seen so far in the league, both teams really wanting to go for it, both given where they are in the league, very strong teams.
“As much as they’ve controlled some parts of the game, I feel as the home team coach we had the better options, the better opportunities in the game, if we were a little bit more clinical, if we were precise with our end product, I think we could have gotten joy and all the three points.
“It wasn’t to be but overall happy with the team, the performance and also my players not backing down and lying over and I heard before the game, ‘teams like to park the bus’ so ja I think it was a good display, entertaining and the opposition, who think everybody must bow down and respect them for that, we ended up going for it. We were unfortunate, I have to settle for a point.
“That’s the mentality change that we instilled when went through the doors at AmaZulu, we need to be competitive with each other first of all in training and when we come to matches, when you get the opportunity to start, then you gotta show,” he continued.
“I can only praise them for what they’ve done so far, I’m gonna turn to the game, we’re up against the champions but also a message to everybody, this AmaZulu team has the hunger to succeed, they have the desire and they have the mentality on top of that.
The draw with Sundowns might have seen Amazulu’s five-game winning streak come to an end but continues what has been an impressive season under the tutelage of Benni McCarthy. Up next, they’ll be looking to keep the momentum when they take on TS Galaxy at the weekend.