Golden Arrows head coach Mandla Ncikazi has admitted that Mamelodi Sundowns' clinical finishing made the difference after his team suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat in the Carling Knockout Cup at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday evening. The result ended Arrows' hopes of progressing further in the competition and handed Ncikazi his second consecutive defeat since taking charge of the Durban-based club.

The match was decided by Iqraam Rayners, who scored the only goal in the 68th minute. The Sundowns striker benefited from a deflection after Antonio van Wyk's effort took a touch and went beyond Golden Arrows goalkeeper Dumisani Msibi.

Despite the defeat, Ncikazi believes his team produced a decent performance against the defending South African giants. However, he acknowledged that creating opportunities against a team like Sundowns is not enough if those chances are not converted.

The Arrows coach explained that playing against Sundowns requires a smart approach because of the quality and experience within their squad. He believes teams must carefully choose when to compete directly and when to exploit spaces left by the opposition.

Speaking after the match, Ncikazi reflected on the tactical decisions his technical team made during the encounter and admitted that his players had opportunities to make something happen in the attacking areas.

"There's two ways to choose you have to box smart against Sundowns, does your quality allow you to go 50/50? Where can you benefit? We got the spaces, but the final passes \[wasn't there\]," Ncikazi said.

The former Orlando Pirates assistant coach also explained that Arrows changed their pressing approach and formation during the match, depending on the personnel introduced from the bench. Although those adjustments created a few opportunities, his team could not make them count.

He admitted that Sundowns were more clinical when their opportunity arrived, which ultimately decided the contest.

"We changed the way we pressed, formation, based on the personnel we brought on, we had some half chances, but we're not clinical as them," he added.

Ncikazi also acknowledged that Sundowns scored from a half-chance but refused to make excuses for his team's elimination.

"They scored from their half-chance, but no ifs and buts, we go home, try and make the team better, that's why we are coaches," he said.

The defeat means Golden Arrows must now shift their attention back to the Betway Premiership, where they will be looking to improve their position on the league table.

Ncikazi's team will have approximately three weeks to prepare for their next league assignment, which will see him return to face his former club, Orlando Pirates, on 28 November.

The upcoming encounter will provide another important test for the coach as he looks to turn around Arrows' recent results and get his new team back to winning ways.

Source: IDiskiTimes