Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane says he cannot fault the effort of his players following their 2-1 victory over Royal AM in the quarter-final of the Nedbank Cup at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday.

The Glamour boys secured their progression to the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup where they will now face arch-rivals Orland Pirates for a place in the final.

Amakhosi will now, however, turn their attention back to the DStv Premiership as they prepare for their upcoming fixture against Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday evening.

Zwane says he was proud of his team’s performance against Royal AM and felt that they deserved to be in the semi-finals as he believes they showed real “hunger, dedication and discipline” get secure their spot in the last four.

“Though we did not create chances in the opening 20 to 25 minutes, we were getting out of the pressing traps they set for us. We gave away a goal against the run of play, and were lucky not to concede a second in a similar fashion from a corner,” Zwane told his club’s official website.

“But because of the pressure we applied we forced them to make a mistake – that’s our game; it has been working for us, a high tempo game – which resulted in them scoring an own goal.

“From that moment I knew it was going to be us who would get the second goal. We went into half-time knowing very well that we were still in control. In the second half, the half-chances we created could have led to goal scoring opportunities but our finishing let us down, which is an area we continue to work on improving.”

“We went all the way to extra time and, with the way we play, I knew we stood a good chance of getting the second goal because Royal AM’s legs were gone. We were first to every ball and created chances again.

“I can’t fault the effort of my players. They came here with only one thing on their minds. They wanted to go through to the semi-final. I am actually proud of the attitude they showed today and the hunger, dedication and discipline. That’s all we needed.”

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