Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs missed two second half penalties in Wednesday's 3-1 Telkom Knockout final defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns, but the record books will not tell that story.
It could have been a very different evening for Chiefs had captain Siphiwe Tshabalala and substitute Camaldine Abraw converted their spot kicks, but in the end it was another disappointing defeat for Chiefs in a cup final.
The Glamour Boys lost the MTN8 final to Ajax Cape Town back in September, and coach Steve Komphela has now seen two chances to lift his first trophy in charge of Chiefs slip by.
"We are all disappointed. This is another setback but it is part of the journey. Things did not go our way but we have to move on, dust ourselves off and get back on the horse," said Tshabalala.
Tshabalala added that he felt for Komphela.
"Not for him only, for everyone at Chiefs. We’ve been working very hard and twice we have lost out in the final in three months," he said.
"It’s not a nice feeling, but we’re professionals. We’ll take this as a challenge and definitely come back stronger next year."
Chiefs must now turn their attention immediately back on their PSL title defence, where a blockbuster fixture against table-topping Wits awaits on Saturday night in Cape Town.
Chiefs are 8 points behind Wits after 11 rounds of fixtures.
"They are a big team, a ball-playing team," said Tshabalala.
"They’ve been doing very well and we need to stop that to get close to them."
Kick-off on Saturday is at 18:00.