Molefi Ntseki did not rail against referee Luxolo Badi after his side were denied a late penalty in Saturday’s MTN8 semifinal that could have seen them through to the decider but he made it clear that he felt it should have been awarded.
Sundowns substitute Thapelo Maseko kicked Mdu Mdantsane from behind in the box in stoppage time at the end of the game, but the referee waved play on.
Had the spot kick been awarded, it would have offered Chiefs a chance to draw the game 2-2 and advance to the final on the away goals rule.
But instead, Sundowns turned out 2-1 home victors in the second leg in Atteridgeville for a 3-2 aggregate triumph.
“What I am in control of is the technical elements of the game. We are all aware that we're supposed to be given a penalty. And that penalty was to be a 2-2 score. It was very clear it was a penalty because a tackle came from behind and the referee did not give a penalty,” he said.
GOOD ACCOUNT OF THEMSELVES
Ntseki, who had been under fire from angry supporters in midweek after Chiefs lost away at SuperSport United in Polokwane, felt his side had given a good account of themselves.
“I think we ticked a lot of boxes in terms of our approach and our plan coming into this game. The plan was not to allow them to build from the back, because when they start building from the back, they create so many spaces and half spaces and pockets in the midfield.
“And in us having a very narrow defensive approach, it allowed us to intercept and put them more under pressure, because you have never seen Sundowns play so many back passes, as they did, which is a plus for us.
“And when it comes to our possession, we managed to keep the ball and to get the ball into areas where they did not have numbers. It is just unfortunate that decision-making in certain instances was not as good as we'd like it to be,” he added.