CAPS United coach, Lloyd Chitembwe, has said that his team was the better team after after recording a 0-0 stalemate in the second leg first round qualifier against TP Mazembe and progressing to the mini league of the CAF Champions League in Harare on Sunday.
Also see: Match Report CAPS United 0-0 TP Mazembe
Speaking after the match, Chitembwe said it was not fair to insinuate that it was a slip by DRC champions TP Mazembe but that CAPS United had registered a performance and warranted a good result to progress to the last eight.
“I don’t want to talk about [TP] Mazembe, talk to me anything about CAPS United then I can talk. Let’s not be disrespectful of CAPS United. It was a good result [and] we competed very well; Mazembe Mazembe, [they are] a good team but at the end of the day we were better,” he said.
Chitembwe also said that the players worked hard to achieve the result against the background of scepticism. He paid tribute to team spirit as CAPS United made the qualification to the CAF champions league last eight for the first time in history.
“The players deserve special mention, they worked hard in training, the spirit in the group is out of this world and I would like to attribute our success to the spirit in the group and everyone in the setup who worked very hard to achieve such kind of success. I’m very proud to be one of the organs in the CAPS United set up.
“It’s down to belief I’m sure. The boys believed that we were formidable at the National Sports Stadium, I think it’s an environment that we are very familiar with so I think we are very comfortable playing at the National Sports Stadium.
“Let’s see how far we can go, I think last year jus t before the season started, there were many people who were sceptical about the spirit in the group and the quality that we have in the group. I also want them to remain sceptical about our chances in the tournament.
“Absolutely, I mean, results are there to prove that there is no other CAPS United team that has matched or gotten near what these guys have done. They deserve to be the greatest CAPS United team ever,” he said.