Cape Town City coach Muhsin Ertugral praised the performance of his team despite the fact they did not capitalise on the run of the game at home against Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership on Wednesday and ended up drawing 1-1.
Arrows capitalised on a defensive error to go ahead through new striker Bongani Cele in the 15th minute but Tshegofatso Nyama slotted home a superb freekick to make it 1-1 two minutes into the second half
“I'm in between happy and not happy,” said Ertugral after the match, which brought to an end a three-match winning streak at home.
“Results are very important but the way the team performed was, I think, marvellous to watch. The pockets were good, the (penalty box) entries was good, the build-up process was good. First touches from the second ball also very good. We secured every deep ball played when previously the defence was always under pressure,” he added.
Centre back Lorenzo Gordinho was well out of position when caught in possession on the touchline by Nduduzo Sibiya, who fed it for Bongani Cele to score his first league goal and put Arrows ahead after 15 minutes.
“I don't know what was he doing there. It's more important to keep the connection (with the other centre back) than to chase the ball outside. But obviously mistakes are going to happen, and where was the security in this situation? We have a security in place but it didn't happen. If the centre back goes out, and the security is not in place, then obviously you concede the goal,” explained Ertugral.
“I can't blame the boys, however. They wanted it so much, and I'm happy with the playing patterns, from the tactical viewpoint, technical viewpoint. In the box, we had fumbles with our feet, sometimes with the first touches in the box under pressure. It's a bit of a challenge. But these are small details and small technical elements and hopefully we can sort it out soon,” he added.
“What I loved to see was the build-up processes, the pockets, the windows, the entry patterns with the half spaces in the last third. I must say that from a football perspective, I'm really happy.”
🤝 The points are shared after a much-improved display from the Citizens #iamCityFC | #BetwayPrem pic.twitter.com/PHJx4dV33I
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) February 5, 2025