Even when the keeper was beaten we missed the target: Chiefs coach Zwane

Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane was left frustrated when his team could not continue their winning form as they slipped to a 2-1 DStv Premiership defeat to Chippa United at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday in a game they dominated.

Chiefs had a chance to go top of the log in what would have been their fourth win on the trot, but second-half goals by Chippa's Siphelele Luthuli and Ronald Pfumbidzai with a deflected shot denied Amakhosi another three points in their 11th game of the season.  

Defender Siyabonga Ngezana headed Amakhosi into a first-half lead but poor defending by Chiefs' defenders in the second half saw them losing their fourth league match this season.

“It’s part of the game,” the coach said of his team missing chances. “Unfortunately at some point as a team or as coach there’s a dry spell and you can’t do anything.  

“If you look at how we scored today and look at the chances created, we could have found the net. Even when their keeper [Lloyd Kazapua] was beaten hands down, we just missed the target completely.

“It tells you maybe it’s more mental. But like I said, our job as coaches is not to give up on these players.

“We have to go to the [training] field, work on them, practise more and practise finishing like we’ve been doing. We’re getting to the right areas at the right time, especially when we put the opposition under pressure.

“With all the offensive players we have we can easily score at any given time. But it’s a matter of taking the scoring opportunities we create in every game.”

Zwane explained why he had to pull out winger Kgaogelo Sekgota for Khama Billiat in the second half, saying he thought Sekgota might have ran out of steam because of the number of games he’s played this season.

“He didn’t have a good game,” said Zwane of the player who joined Chiefs from Swallows FC at the start of the 2022-23 season.

“It's key for us that if a player is not doing well at that moment, you don’t want to him to get to a situation where his confidence is down and he can’t even come back.

“We still need him for the next game and in a cup game [the MTN8 semifinal second leg against AmaZulu], for which we’ll be here [in Durban] next week.

“We are also trying to create competition and he must know that if he doesn’t perform there’s another player on the bench.

“I think Khama came on and did well and created a number of chances for us. When you compare it with Kgaogelo in the first half, we know he can do better.

“The chances that were missed by Khama were created by Khama. It shows that, on another day, we could have buried those chances, which is what was lacking at that moment.

“I’m not too worried [about Sekgota]. I know he’s a focused boy and is working hard. It’s just that today was not his day so we had to pull him out.

“He’s one of the players who have played most of the games, so probably that is taking its toll on his body.”

Chiefs host TS Galaxy at FNB Stadium in the league on Wednesday then meet AmaZulu in the MTN8 semifinal second leg at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday. The score in the first leg was 1-1.

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