Retired midfielder Hlompho Kekana says the way Kaizer Chiefs performed against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final second leg on Saturday impressed him.
The Amakhosi lost the second leg 2-1 to bow out of the competition 3-2 on aggregate, as Peter Shalulile’s double in the first half got the job done.Chiefs deployed the midfield duo of Yusuf Maart and Edson Castillo but had an appeal for a penalty turned away a minute to full-time after Mduduzi Mdantsane went down from Thapelo Maseko’s challenge in the box.
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“I must say I’m impressed with Kaizer Chiefs’ performance the whole match and it was so unlike them to play like that against Mamelodi Sundowns in I don’t know how many years,” Kekana told the Sundowns podcast the Pitch-Side.
“To see them coming out of that last line to push a little bit higher up the field, I think that was impressive. The other thing, the midfield of Chiefs didn’t back off against the midfield of Sundowns.
Needing a goal to advance on the away-goal rule, Chiefs went on the attack in the closing minutes of the match and brought on two strikers Jasond Gonzalez and Christian Saile Basomboli.
“It was lovely to see and as a team like Sundowns calibre you want opponents to play against you, and it’s free-flowing football and you love being challenged and you can see your quality as players when you’re being challenged.
Masandawana noticed the Amakhosi throwing caution to the wind with the offensive introductions of Saile and Gonzalez and responded by going on the defensive late on as Terrence Mashego and Brian Onyango entered.
“And I think sometimes the reason we become sloppy in some matches (is because) there’s no pushback back, and sometimes it becomes easier because I know I’ll play five matches without finding a team that will push (us) a little bit back and I was so impressed with Kaizer Chiefs,” he added.
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