Zwane reflects on MTN8 exit, eyes strong start in the league

AmaZulu head coach Arthur Zwane has pointed to costly turnovers and lapses in concentration as the key reasons behind their narrow 3-2 MTN8 quarter-final defeat to Stellenbosch FC on Sunday.

Usuthu bowed out of the competition at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town after a thrilling encounter that saw the hosts edge past them in extra time.  The result ended AmaZulu’s hopes of progressing to the semi-finals, joining Richards Bay, TS Galaxy and Polokwane City among the weekend’s casualties.

Zwane, now in his first full season at the helm, admitted the gameplan was clear — frustrate Stellenbosch in non-threatening areas and hit back on transition. 

For large parts of the match, the plan appeared to work, but sloppy play in key moments let them down.

“We always knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy one playing against a well-oiled Stellenbosch team,” Zwane said to the media, after the match.

“But we had to allow them to have the ball in areas where we knew they would not hurt us. I think we did tremendously well. At some point, you could see their frustration.”

However, the turning point, according to Zwane, came from Usuthu’s failure to make their own possession count.

“The problem we had was that whenever we had turnovers, we actually lost the ball cheaply. The goal that they scored comes from those moments I just mentioned,” he added. “I still believe that we showed them respect at some point, but whenever we imposed ourselves, we also put them under pressure.”

AmaZulu looked the better side in stages in game after taking the league through Keagan Allen and later academy graduate Tebogo Mashigo also getting his name on the score sheet.  However, Stellenbosch’s resilience — and eventually, Langelihle Phili’s extra-time winner — proved too much.

Despite the disappointment, Zwane has quickly shifted focus to the Betway Premiership opener this coming Saturday against league newcomers Orbit College. 

The Durban-based side will welcome the opportunity to start the new league campaign on home soil, eager to shake off the MTN8 hangover.

Zwane, who made a host of changes in the off-season as part of a long-term rebuild, is banking on the benefit of a full training week to reset and prepare for the challenge ahead.

“The games will come thick and fast, but at least this time we’ve got a full week to prepare,” he said.

“You can imagine if after playing this tough match, we had to play on Wednesday — it was going to take a lot from us. But this time we can recover and prepare the players both physically and psychologically for what’s to come against Orbit.”

For AmaZulu, the focus now returns to the grind of the league. Zwane is under no illusions — progress won’t come overnight. But after a spirited cup performance, there’s belief that this group can find the consistency needed to compete.

Saturday marks a new beginning, and a crucial test of how quickly Usuthu can turn lessons into momentum.