Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has explained the decision to drop Bruce Bvuma and start Brandon Petersen in the Nedbank Cup final against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
Amakhosi walked away 2-1 winners in a cup final played at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium. Gaston Sirino had opened the scoring from the penalty spot early on, before Evidence Makgopa levelled matters seven minutes later.
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It took a venomous volley from Yusuf Maart to settle the tie with just under 20 minutes left on the clock.
The match was a replay of a Betway Premiership encounter between the two Soweto giants just seven days prior. Notably, though, this time around, Nabi opted to hand Petersen a first start since December 2024
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the tactician revealed he felt the pressure on Bvuma was 'inhumane' and felt confident in the former Wits man.
"With Brandon Petersen, we noticed that there was extreme pressure on Bruce in these last few weeks. We believe it was inhumane pressure on him," explained Nabi.
"We didn’t just want to protect him, but we noticed the other two keepers are almost the same level, but Brandon has been training tremendously well with Ilyez Mzoughi.
"But don’t think for one minute it was an easy decision because it could have gone either way. If he conceded, people would have asked: 'Why did you change in the final?'
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"But our goalkeeper coach was confident that what he’s put in, the work with Petersen, can help us. In the 90 minutes, he proved that it was an excellent bet," he went on.
The Glamour Boys now turn their attention back to the Betway Premiership, where they are still fighting for a spot in the top eight, as they take on Sekhukhune United away on Saturday.
