The red team won the game. The black and white side choked when 2-0 up on aggregate. The debate whether they choked or not will linger but in reality with 45mins to go they did just that. Pressure cooker situation and mental discipline cost them ultimately. The games a funny old thing and goes far deeper then physical ability and showing.
Team Taranaki played more direct, nothing fancy pants about that but it was effective enough. They supported the front runners better and created more chances then the previous week. Looks like a slight formation change and couple of positional changes paid dividends on the day. The penalty was a penalty and well taken. Calm and collect right there.
Waterside can play football, they can knock passes and keep possession, and recycle. They seemed to lack that final penetration though. Do they overplay sometimes? Do they rely on a couple of playmakers too often? Some good young players in the side who have plenty of time to play CL, maybe not for waterside?? Will they get picked up by other clubs??
Two even sides obviously, as indicated by the scores in both games. Vastly different styles but thats sport. I think the home leg loss actually helped TT to beef up and the attitude, want, will and passion they showed to claw back and win are some of the important attributes a team needs in CL. Credit where credit is due.
Capital premier will be worth watching next season for sure. Will be another tight tussle. The winner will earn their challenge for CL.