‘You have to create positive momentum in the minds of every player now,’ said the Chiefs interim co-head coach.
Kaizer Chiefs interim co-head coach Cedric Kaze is confident Amakhosi can gain plenty of inspiration from reaching the next round of the Caf Confederation Cup.
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Chiefs beat Kabuscorp 1-0 at FNB Stadium on Saturday to level their first preliminary round tie at 1-1 on aggregate. Amakhosi then triumphed 5-4 on penalties, with Aden McCarthy slotting home the winning spot kick.
Chiefs’ next task
Amakhosi will now play the winners of the tie between DR Congo’s AS Simba and Djabal d’Iconi from the Comoros in the final qualifier for the group stages.
Chiefs deserved to come through on Saturday, putting Kabuscorp under a lot of pressure. Glody Lilepo scored the vital equaliser in the 41st minute, and if Chiefs had been more ruthless in front of goal, they would not have needed a shootout to go through.
“It is a very big relief to go to the next round,” Kaze told reporters after the match.
“You have to create positive momentum in the minds of every player now. The training ground is going to be in a lighter mood than in previous days. But we also need to put the work in to keep the momentum alive.”
Chiefs had failed to win in three consecutive matches heading into Saturday’s game, and had also had to cope with the departure of head coach Nasreddine Nabi.
Amakhosi also faced in this match the jeopardy of conceding an away goal, which would have meant them having to score three to reach the next round.
As it was, the away side created few chances, and Chiefs could have put the game to bed before Lilepo finally scored. The Congolese winger lashed in a rebound after Kabuscorp goalkeeper Anselmo had parried Dillon Solomons’ long-range effort.
“We started the game fairly well,” added Kaze.
“We knew we had to play with intensity and our attacking combinations were accurate. They are a physical team who man-mark and we needed to move the ball very quickly.
‘Calmness under pressure’
“In the first half we had three or four opportunities to score. Unfortunately we only scored one. The second half didn’t go as well as we would have wanted. There was some fighting on the field that killed the flow of the game.
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“In the last 15 minutes we tried and had opportunities to score the second goal. Unfortunately we didn’t and in the shootout you have to give credit to the boys for their calmness under pressure.”
Chiefs will now turn their attention back to the Betway Premiership – they face AmaZulu at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.
