AmaKhosi secured a 1-0 victory on the night to level the qualifying tie at 1-1 on aggregate, having lost the first leg by the same scoreline in Ndola. 

However, the visitors prevailed 3-2 in the shootout to deny Chiefs a place in the group stages. 

Da Cruz, who has faced mounting criticism over the team’s inconsistent performances, insists his players were the better side but failed to make their dominance count. 

"When we win or lose we have to analyse the game very closely, and when you analyse this game it's very clear that we dominated the game and we created a lot of chances to win. We are heading in the right direction."

The disappointing result came against the backdrop of a noticeably subdued atmosphere at Moses Mabhida Stadium, with large sections of the stands empty despite Chiefs’ traditionally strong following in Durban. 

Although ticketing difficulties reportedly affected attendance, the poor turnout also raised questions about growing frustration among supporters following the club’s recent struggles. Da Cruz was questioned about the lack of fans at such an important continental fixture and urged the AmaKhosi faithful to remain patient with the team. 

"The fans must stay behind us and push us to improve. When you see the type of football the team played today it is very positive so we must keep on looking forward and I'm sure our luck will turn."

Chiefs will have little time to dwell on their continental disappointment as attention immediately shifts to Tuesday’s Carling Knockout encounter against TS Galaxy. With their CAF Confederation Cup campaign now over, the domestic cup competition presents AmaKhosi with another opportunity to challenge for silverware. Da Cruz believes the short turnaround could work in his team’s favour, allowing the players to put Friday’s setback behind them and concentrate on their next assignment.

Meanwhile, Da Cruz has clarified the goalkeeping changes that saw Bruce Bvuma return to the starting line-up for the second leg against Red Arrows. Renaldo Leaner had been handed the responsibility in the opening encounter in Ndola, with first-choice goalkeeper Brandon Petersen unavailable through injury. 

However, Leaner was subsequently ruled out after picking up an injury during the team’s final training session ahead of Friday’s return fixture.