Kaizer Chiefs were knocked out of the CAFConfederation Cup after suffering a 3-2 penalty shootout defeat in the second leg of the second preliminary round at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday.
Bradley Cross scored the only goal of the return tie, sending the match to the penalty shootout.
Amakhosi entered the match trailing 1-0 on aggregate after suffering an away defeat in Ndola, Zambia, the previous week. Determined to overturn the deficit, Amakhosi looked to make an early impact, pushing forward aggressively whenever they gained possession in search of the opening goal.
However, their attacking urgency left them vulnerable to Red Arrows’ counter-attacks, with the Zambian side posing a threat whenever they won back possession. Red Arrows created a few promising forward moves but were unable to find a breakthrough.
Chiefs came close to levelling the tie in the 11th minute, but Red Arrows goalkeeper Charles Kalumba produced an important save to deny Thulani Mabaso’s effort inside the box.
Fernando Da Cruz’s men continued to push forward in search of the breakthrough but struggled to penetrate Red Arrows’ well-organised defence. The visitors, meanwhile, refused to sit back, looking to launch attacks of their own whenever they had possession.
Despite several attacking attempts from the Soweto giants, neither side managed to find the back of the net, and the teams went into the half-time break locked at 0-0.
Chiefs returned from the break with renewed attacking intent as they continued their search for an opening goal, while Red Arrows struggled to create meaningful chances going forward.
Much like the first half, the hosts made several trips into the final third but found it difficult to turn their dominance into goals. In the 62nd minute, Pule Mmodi came close with a quick snapshot, only for the Red Arrows goalkeeper to make the save.
In the 66th minute, Bradley Cross found the net, heading home to level the aggregate score.
Chiefs had a chance to seal the triumph in the dying minutes, but Shabalala missed two clear opportunities to grab the winner.
After the final whistle, the match had to be decided on penalties with the Zambian side, coming out victorious.