Durban - Kaizer Chiefs fought back from a goal down to claim a difficult 2-1 victory over Supersport United at the FNB Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Amakhosi made life difficult for themselves as they continued their defensive woes with conceding their ninth goal of the season however Head Coach Arthur Zwane praised his side's ability to come back the right way after an early setback.
"In the opening 20 minutes we were still losing the ball cheaply so it gave them an opportunity to score the opening goal but what I liked about the boys was how they responded after conceding the goal," he told SuperSport TV.
"We started holding onto the ball a bit longer and waited for the right moments and that gave us the opening goal, our equaliser and from there we knew we could go on to get the second goal."
🗣️ "We always knew if we win the midfield battle we could get maximum points."
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 17, 2022
Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane on tonight's win over SuperSport.
Matsatsantsa coach Gavin Hunt felt his side did not deserve to lose on the night as they created a barrage of excellent goalscoring opportunities in the opening quarter of an hour.
Zwane was quick to acknowledge the visitors attacking prowess but identified a key element in their overturning of an onslaught early on.
"They're a team that will always want to make your life difficult with their direct balls into their strikers or the wingers in preparation for crosses which is their strength but we always knew if we win back the midfield battle then we stand a good chance of getting maximum points today," Zwane explained.
"The most did well to execute what we had planned during the week in terms of closing down and dominating midfield but what I'm most pleased about is keeping our run going at home."
🗣️ "You should never lose a game like that, never in a million years!"
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) September 17, 2022
SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt reacts to his team's loss to Chiefs. pic.twitter.com/zfBZD4L6z4
New Glamour Boy Caleb Bimenyimana finally found his scoring boots as he opened his account with a brace against Supersport effectively handing Chiefs the victory.
Zwane revealed his joy at seeing Bimenyimana utilising his stature and abrasive nature to get himself on the end opportunities on the night.
"Yes he (Bimenyimana) is very aggressive in that near post and that's what we told him, to attack that near post with aggression and the other guys will cover the far post and the penalty and that balls will always come into that area and he did just that," he said.
"It was a good move overall, Ashley (Du Preez ) with the assist, (Siyethemba) Sithebe on the half turn connecting with Yusuf (Maart) and his first touch set up everything."