Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi felt his side were hard done by in their narrow 1-0 loss to Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership on Saturday.
New Amakhosi signing Flavio Da Silva came off the bench to score the winning goal at the Moses Mabhida Stadium after 68 minutes.
Mngqithi admitted his side were second best for parts of the tie and should have done better with the goal they conceded, but says they were denied a “clear penalty”.
Speaking after the game, the head coach said on SuperSport: “I think the game came out the way we anticipated it. We knew the first 20 minutes we would suffer.
“Because they would try to push for an early goal, and they pushed, I think the boys suffered collectively.
“We were fortunate to come out of that steam without conceding a goal, but I think after 20-23 minutes that’s when I changed the shape a little bit.
“Second half, we had a very dominant performance. Looked like a team we’re trying to build.
“Created what I think was a clear penalty in my opinion, but in South Africa, maybe things are different, but I think it was a clear penalty.
“In a game of football, where clear decisions should be taken and they’re not taken, you suffer the consequences.
“I think the goal they [Chiefs] scored, the left-back could’ve put a little bit of pressure.”
The result saw Arrows end the afternoon in seventh place with seven points from five games, while Amakhosi occupy second place with 13 points.