Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy admitted he might have got some substitutions wrong as his first cup final ended in heart-breaking defeat on Saturday.
The Cape Town team let slip the lead with just 10 minutes to go and ended up being beaten by SuperSport United on post-match penalties in Saturday's MTN8 final.
The two clubs were contesting the final of South Africa's Top Eight Cup, a knockout competition for the clubs finishing in the first eight positions in the previous season's log standings.
The long-standing competition is one of the highlights of the South African campaign and the final marked only McCarthy's 10th game in charge of City, who he joined in the off-season for his first head coaching job.
But the Bafana Bafana legend had to taste the bitterness of defeat after two hours of football and a shootout.
SuperSport won 4-2 on post-match kicks after a 1-1 draw at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium to continue their successful cup run in South African football.
Victory came just months after they ended last season by winning the South African Cup.
But they had to come back from behind after City took a first half lead through Sibusiso Masina.
It was a lead that McCarthy's team might have doubled after the break with Lehlohonolo Majoro missing two good chances.
With half an hour to go, McCarthy made a substitution that he admitted afterwards might have proved the undoing of his team.
"As a coach I have to take responsibility because as we were 1-0 up and in total control of the game, and anticipating what the opposition were doing pushing on new players, I looked to tighten the screws in the midfield," McCarthy explained afterwards.
"I accept maybe my inexperienced kicked in there, or my excitement as we were getting close to the end of the game. We were winning and I decided to close the midfield and the back by bringing changes, looking to see out the game,"
But despite the defensive reinforcements, City committed a defensive error which allowed Thabo Mnyamane to score an 80th minute equaliser for SuperSport.
But the striker hurt himself in the process, forced to then hobble off with a groin injury leaving SuperSport down to 10 men. They had already made their three changes by the then and could not replace Mnyamane, handing a numerical advantage to City.
But McCarthy's men were unable to take advantage tag because they had taken off their more creative players and lacked the necessary nous to make use of their numerical superiority, allowing SuperSport to hold out through to the end of 90 minutes, then a further half-hour of extra time to take the game to penalties.
"They were clearly on the back foot. We need to have rather brought on a creative player but it was too late when we got the numerical advantage. I accept maybe not making the right substitutions," McCarthy added