Cape Town - Free State Stars assistant coach Bradley Carnell expressed his disappointment following his team's elimination from the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.
Ea Lla Koto were knocked out at the semi-final stage after Pirates secured a 4-2 victory at Goble Park on Saturday.
Stars have only themselves to blame after they only came to life when Pirates were 2-0 ahead.
Stars coach Giovanni Solinas’ frustrations boiled over as he was sent to the stands by the referee.
"I wish the game started at four o'clock, because that's when we came out to play, in the second-half. We got caught dearly in the first-half, going two goals down," Carnell told Soccer Laduma.
"Sometimes the occasion weighs more in the legs than the situation itself. In the first-half the players were thinking too much about how big the game is. Unfortunately we paid the price early on."