FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza has admitted that his charges now face an uphill task in the CAF Champions League after they lost to Horoya 1-0 at home on Saturday.

The result saw the Zimbabwe champions slump to the bottom of Group B with one point after match-day 3 and now have a slim chance of reaching the knock-out stage of the tournament.

Speaking after the game, Mapeza said: “It’s now a big mountain for us to climb. We have to push hard and see what happens.

“We wanted to win the game. There is no way we were going to sit and defend. Mathematically we might be out, but for us, it is about the experience, and we will keep on working hard and see how it goes.”

On the penalty which was awarded to the visitors when skipper Petros Mhari cluttered into the visiting captain Ocansey Mandela, Mapeza felt that the decision was too harsh.

“We conceded from a penalty which I think was too harsh on us, but it is part of the game. If you look at the position of the ball and where the player was going, he went straight to our goalkeeper. He wasn’t going to the ball,” he added.