Fernando Da Cruz confident his Kaizer Chiefs side will overturn CAF deficit

Alassane Diarra scored the only goal at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in the 76th minute to hand the Zambian Premier League side the advantage heading into next week's second leg.

Da Cruz admitted that Amakhosi struggled to create chances throughout the tie as he bemoaned the state of the pitch.

"We played the first half with no aggression; we also struggled in duels, but it was better in the second half. We didn't create a lot of chances, but the second half was better," Da Cruz said in the Sowetan.

"We congratulate Red Stars. We conceded a goal from a set piece, a corner kick. Now our focus has shifted to the second leg at home because we know we are able to win that second leg."

"It wasn't a field for our advantage. It wasn't a very good field for us to develop our model game, but we must adapt; we must play in every condition," Da Cruz added.

The loss extended Chiefs' run of winless matches in all competitions to four games, heaping pressure on the head coach.

"We are under pressure every day, and we put pressure on ourselves every day, so it's not a problem. We just lack efficiency; we must put in more work when we attack, and we will work on that, and it will turn on our side," he said.

“The most important thing in this type of moment is that we must be together as staff, players, management, fans and everyone to go through this period.”