NEWS
Zwane – I Never Panicked
Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane says there was no stage for him to press the panic buttons after they initially squandered a two-goal lead against Maritzburg United in their 3-2 win at a packed Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday night.
Chiefs flew out of the blocks, scoring the goal first in the fifth minute through Keagan Dolly before Christian Saile riffled in the second in the 10th minute.
However, that stung Maritzburg back to life, scoring through Mogamad De Goede and a cracking free-kick by Amadou Soukouna to bring numbers level just before half-time.
Chiefs, though, re-established the lead in the second half. Speedster Ashley du Preez was brought down in the box by De Goede and referee Xolani Sitela had no hesitation to point to the spot.
Yusuf Maart stepped up and converted the penalty to see Chiefs take all the three points and win the three successive games for the second time this season.
After the match Zwane insisted he was never worried his side would still get a win after Maritzburg drew level, because he knew that they were going to create other opportunities.
“I did not panic at all, to be quite honest,” said Zwane after the game when asked by iDiski Times.
“Simply because I believe in my players. I believe that as soon as we take control of the game, we can create chances and be able to score.
“As long as you still have Christian [Saile] on the field, you have Ashley Du Preez, Keagan Dolly, Mdu Shabalala, we can create goal scoring opportunities and be dangerous.
“Though we could have done better and obviously we have a room for improvement, and we will keep on grinding the results, keep on working hard until we get it right.”
Chiefs’ win maintained their grip on the fourth spot on the table with 37 points after 23 matches played, the same as their Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates, who early on Saturday beat SuperSport United at Orlando Stadium.
This means it will be an intense pursuit for the CAF Champions League spot come the end of the season between the duo and SuperSport, as the destination of the DStv Premiership title has all but been cleared up by all-conquering Mamelodi Sundowns.
– Advertisement –
A win or draw by the Tshwane giants over Cape Town City on 1 April will be enough to crown them champions for the sixth successive time, this time with six games to spare which would be a new record in the PSL era.
Source Link Zwane – I Never Panicked