AmaZulu head coach Brandon Truter says the DStv Premiership is still open after his side's late loss to Mamelodi Sundowns.
After a goalless first stanza, Marcelo Allende snatched the winner for the Brazilians in added time.
Truter says they had a good tactical plan for Sundowns but the decisions of the referee were questionable, especially the handball incident.
Read: Sundowns sink AmaZulu with late winner
"Ja I think it was a very good tactical battle, both teams played exceptionally well, we knew what Sundowns was gonna do, we made it uncomfortable for them," Truter told SuperSport TV.
"Even though they dominated a bit of possession but very close possession stakes. Having said, I think between the two teams it took a deflection to get them a goal but we had so many good chances to score in the first-half.
"Even in the second half as well. Look it takes a referee with some really big balls to make decisions like that and I don't think he had. He's on the ground, he stops 'Rama' [Ramahlwe Mphahlele] from moving forward and he stops the ball with his hands, [if] that's not a penalty denied I don't know.
"But besides that, some decisions in the first-half as well, I don't want to talk much about the referee. I'm proud of my boys, I'm proud about how they executed the plan as well," he went on.
"We knew what Sundowns were gonna do. Look Sundowns are not there [at the top of the log] for no reason, you know what they gonna do but because of the quality they possess they can turn it around.
"But we contained them, we knew what was expected, tactically we sticked to the plan and we created some openings here and there. We put them under tremendous pressure with set-plays as well. So ja to concede that time I don't think the results are a fair reflection of the game."
Truter also reacted to a statement that AmaZulu had three shots on target in the first-half compared to Sundowns, who had no shot on target.
"Look ja, that's why I take it to the guys for the plan, we knew what we were going to do, we executed it well. The result doesn't come at the right time as well. We started very well this season and we got these results close to one another.
"But in actual fact in the league at this stage everyone has lost twice, even Sundowns or more. So it's still open, it's still early days, it's eight games for us, there's still 22 to go," Truter said.
"So we should not start panicking. What we saw today was the depth in the squad, the tactical flexibility of the boys as well but we went toe-toe-toe with the current champions.
"Former champions of Africa and the best players on the park in South Africa, so well done to my boys."
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