Golden Arrows coach Steve Komphela admits it was heart-breaking to lose to a stoppage-time goal against Mamelodi Sundowns on Monday.
Arrows and Sundowns looked set to share the spoils with goalless draw at Dobsonville Stadium, but Themba Zwane pounced on a chance in stoppage-time to claim a 1-0 win for the Brazilians.
Komphela says his charges will learn some hard lessons from the defeat.
"It's not easy, you know most of the time you learn, write an examination and pass. In football, you have to be examined and you learn after that. That's basically that," the former Kaizer Chiefs said on SuperSport TV after the match.
"The lesson you get after that is something else. We get the ball, play the ball backwards at a crucial moment and it was not the first time we played it back. Reprimand and the same thing happen.
"But we're not the kind of people who blame players but the amount of work they put for 90 minutes and come and lose it like that it's heart-breaking.
"But again, is it a lesson? Why do you learn after being examined like that, you passed the exam, you were almost through and giving it away?
"But again you look at the positives, they played very well, they were well organised and Sundowns obviously posing the threats that we know, there wasn't much, on set-plays there was a bit of a threat, we dealt with that and there was also one where I thought we gave them a get out of jail card freely," he said.
"But listen you try make sense out of this, but it still remains strange, it shouldn't be. It's just sad that we'll have to go to the dressing room and the strain of the bubble is that you're playing these matches you're together, there's nothing else that refreshes you.
"And as the leader because you are the light after this darkness you have to go back and inspire again. But first I must get inspired. So, I hope after this post-match when we go to the dressing room and we have gathered enough logic to speak light to them."
Arrows next face Cape Town City at Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday.
- TEAMtalk media