McCarthy says AmaZulu must be more clinical after 13th draw

AmaZulu must be more clinical closing out results, coach Benni McCarthy said after a home 0-0 draw against TS Galaxy left last year’s runners-up in seventh place in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Galaxy continued a mini-revival under coach Sead Ramovic. Three matches on the road have yielded an impressive seven points from nine. The Mpumalanga outfit followed their 1-0 wins away over Kaizer Chiefs and Swallows FC with another tight display at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

McCarthy said Usuthu, coming off a 1-0 Caf Champions League win against Guinea’s Horoya on Friday night by notching a 13th league draw of the season, made life tough for themselves by being unable to capitalise on domination of possession and chances in the opening half.

“We weren’t clinical enough. We started well and dominated the game, making the opposition make a lot of mistakes,” the coach said. “Intercepting the high press worked really well. But lack of conviction was the biggest problem. When you don’t convert the chances it becomes extremely hard. That contributed to us not winning the match,” McCarthy said.

“We made one or two crucial mistakes, allowing them one-on-one with the keeper. Luckily the quality of finishing wasn’t up to standard so they also missed some chances. A win in this game would have put us nicely in third place, one point behind Orlando Pirates.”

Usuthu host Tunisia’s ES Sétif  in their third Champions League Group B match at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday night. Galaxy prepare for their league meeting with runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns at Mbombela Stadium on March 2.