AmaZulu head coach Benni McCarthy says his side were beaten by the 'man in the middle' after their Nedbank Cup exit at the hands of Orlando Pirates.
Usuthu suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon, with Deon Hotto scoring the winner while Tapelo Xoki had a late penalty saved at the other end.
There was a controversial moment in the first half when the ball struck Goodman Mosele in the box but instead of awarded a penalty, the referee restarted the game with a drop ball
"I'm going to say out of courtesy congratulations to Pirates," McCarthy told SuperSport after the game.
"They took their chance that came to them and they scored and for us you saw what wee were about and if there was in this life justice we would be standing here saying a different story. If you are a football lover and you see what's happening in the game when it comes to decisions that cost your team, to get knocked out of the competition. I counted three penalties so because we get one, you must now be happy because it's justice. Hey, come on, there is no justice.
"It was a great game of football. Yes, we're a small team but on the pitch, we show a lot of heart and a lot of character and I can't be more proud of this group of players that we have. Being away from.. But for us a lot of positives to take away and we can only get better and I'm super proud of my players and they couldn't have done more.
"They were beaten by the man in the middle today, not by our opponents and I'm going to stick to that because that's my feeling and everyone else that loves football and knows football. We weren't beaten by our opponents today."
