AmaZulu head coach Brandon Truter felt it was a "soft" decision from the referee to send off Veluyeke Zulu during their 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs.
The sides could not be separated in the MTN8 semi-final first-leg after Keagan Dolly cancelled out an early goal by Gabadinho Mhango.
Usuthu had to play the final 35 minutes with a man down after Zulu got a second yellow card for a foul Kgaogelo Sekgota.
Read: Chiefs battle back against 10-man AmaZulu
"Ja look they struggled, it's like we lost it, I think it was individual mistake with them getting the goal," Truter told SuperSport TV.
"We had bodies around the ball at the moment, so to block either the cross to come in and then it went over I think two players closed before they tucked it in.
"So luck was on their side in that regard but we contained them, we played through the press in the first half, we were so dominant in the first 20 minutes up until the water break," he said.
"One or two times they were behind us and suddenly we were panicking, we were shouting, so the half-time break could not come soon enough and we came out, to lose Zulu.
"I think it was a soft yellow card, because I saw some of them exactly the same and there was no yellow, but certain people when they are around in games like this and it's always a spectacle. But it sets it up for a good second-leg, we'll take the away goal home, we'll finish it in Durban.
"We were ten-man for over 30 minutes, so we can't open up and give them the lead, we can't play the way the opponent wants to play. Look, we'll protect what we have, we'll take the away goal to Durban and we'll settle it there."
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