Chiefs’ Nabi remains positive despite Toyota Cup loss

‘We had opportunities to win the game during the 90 minutes, and during the penalties, but we missed them,’ said the Chiefs head coach.

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi remains positive Kaizer Chiefs are on the right path, despite defeat in the Toyota Cup to Asante Kotoko on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Chiefs miss chances

Kotoko beat Chiefs 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the game finished goalless, with Amakhosi guilty of wasting many opportunities to put the game to bed in 90 minutes.

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Their best chance came a few minutes before the end of the match, captain Inacio Miguel missing after Chiefs were awarded a controversial penalty.

After a chaotic penalty shootout, it was the unfortunate Miguel whose penalty was saved by Kotoko ‘keeper Mohamed Camara to seal victory for the visitors.

“I think it was a game that was very instructive,” Nabi told SABC Sport.

“We came up with a lot of answers in terms of what we have been doing (in pre-season) and what we need to do going forward. It was a positive performance overall.

“We had opportunities to win the game during the 90 minutes, and during the penalties, but we missed them. We wanted to offer our supporters victory and finish the day with joy. But penalties are unpredictable.”

Chiefs certainly gave an improved display on Saturday compared to their 4-0 hammering in the Toyota Cup by Tanzanian side Young Africans last year.

Following on from a pre-season in the Netherlands, they may well have been taken aback by a poor, bumpy surface in Durban, especially compared to the smooth pitches they played on in Europe.

Even with this situation, Chiefs still put up a decent showing, especially in the second half, when they really should have seen off Kotoko with the opportunities they created.

‘The right direction’

“I am very positive we are going in the right direction,” added Nabi, whose side will play their first Betway Premiership match of the new season against Stellenbosch on August 10.

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“We have done the physical work. Now we are in the last two weeks of the pre-season. We know our negative points. It is very important for us to look where the problems are honestly, and at where the quality is. We can then push to improve the quality and correct the negative points.”