AmaZulu's Benni McCarthy bemoans Raja's game-delaying tactics

AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy accused the Raja Casablanca players of gamesmanship and "going down unnecessarily" in their 1-0 CAF Champions League defeat in Morocco on Saturday.

North African sides are notorious for using all sorts of tactics to slow the game down and frustrate their opposition.

And after Mohsine Moutaouali's strike midway through the second half, that is exactly what three-time CAF Champions League winners did, something which annoyed McCarthy.

"There was a little miscommunication in our defence in terms of clearing the ball, and we allowed Raja in behind and they scored the all-important goal," McCarthy said.

"I think we could have done better with our defending, and I think we could have done better in front of goal.

"We didn't really work the keeper too much. If you want to win football matches you have to put the ball in the back of the net.

"When the chance to do that comes and it doesn't happen, and you go and concede a few minutes later ... it then becomes a game of delaying tactics, players going down unnecessarily when they are not injured, and that disturbs the rhythm.

"And you don't get five or six movements [in a row] where you can create situations because there is always a player down injured and it is stop-start, stop-start."

However, the Usuthu mentor did say the experience of playing against a side of Raja's stature could only benefit his players in the future.

"Overall, it was a nice experience for us, a good first match and now we have got recovery to do. We will travel back to SA ahead of our next match," McCarthy said.

"Hopefully we will take a lot of positives from this game into the next one and we will come good with a victory."

AmaZulu are back in action on Friday when they take on