Durban - Royal AM And AmaZulu notched up hard-fought Nedbank Cup victories over the weekend while Eric Tinkler and Romain Folz cried foul over various incidents.
Usuthu survived a late scare as they edged ABC Motsepe League Side Tornado FC, while Royal AM needed penalties to overcome Cape Town City as both sides advanced to the last-16 on Sunday.
Both encounters were littered with dramatic scenes due to the unsporting behaviour of the players and a lack of control by the referees.
City coach Tinkler blasted Thwihli Thwahla shot-stopper Patrick Nyame for his blatant disruption of the match and questioned the integrity of the 36-year-old Cameroonian.
“I’ve never seen a goalkeeper go down seven to eight times. Cramps, from the 15th minute already. What type of goalkeeper are you?” asked Tinkler.
The 52-year-old mentor was left frustrated at Cape Town Stadium as his side utterly dominated Royal AM and registered over 20 attempts at goal but with no success.
The lack of a cutting-edge upfront for the Cape side has been their most consistent issue as they've failed to place results beyond doubt early on or sneak vital away points even with a decent amount of chances created.
Tinkler’s need for a higher level of potency in the final third has seen him bolster his squad with the arrival of Cameroonian Bertrand Mani looking to aid the efforts of Bafana Bafana forward Khanyisa Mayo and Darwin Gonzalez.
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The 27-year-old Gonzalez produced another Man of the Match performance and could've been the difference between elimination and advancement if not for the heroics and ‘dark arts’ of Nyame.
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘
CT CITY 0️⃣ - 0️⃣ ROYAL AM
Penalties 3️⃣ - 4️⃣
Mayo Misses and so does City's chance to progress to the last 16 of the #NedbankCup . pic.twitter.com/RwyrfxtahZ
Earlier on in the day, AmaZulu coach Folz was left fuming as the officiating in their battle against minnows Tornado almost stained his side’s solid performance.
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The 32-year-old is one of a few top-flight coaches that cannot hold their tongues as Premier Soccer League refereeing standards appear to deteriorate.
Folz called out referee Siyabulela Qunta and his assistants and insisted their influence could've proved damaging.
“I feel like we always have the same chat after every game and people think we complain because we drew or lost. We won today but I'm saying the same thing, it was bad,” Folz told SABC Sport.
"I don't want my words to be misinterpreted, I'm not insulting anyone. I'm not saying he was against us in particular. I'm saying it was not a good performance from a referee, as much as we are also not perfect. We missed a lot of chances; we could have scored 12. We have our weaknesses but there's only so much that you can deal with.”
@ScribeSmiso