Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi tries to get a message across as his side are thumped 4-1 by SuperSport United in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium on Tuesday. Picture: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images)
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi blamed fatigue, after his side slumped to a 4-1 Betway Premiership loss at home to SuperSport United at FNB Stadium on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Nurkovic, Saile on target as SuperSport stun sorry Chiefs
Samir Nurkovic gave SuperSport a fourth minute lead. While Chiefs were briefly level, goals from Christian Saile, Gamphani Lungu and Siphesihle Ndlovu saw Gavin Hunt’s Matsatsantsa romp home.
“It was a very difficult game, from the first minute … we could already see it was an off game for us,” Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi told reporters after the match.
“I cannot give excuses all the time, but we didn’t have enough time to recover, (just) two days. The other team had a week.
“It’s a deserved defeat, but you can see that mentally, we were not up to standard. We cracked … the result was painful.”
Chiefs’ season in the Premiership has been a model of inconsistency. They have lost as many matches (seven) as they have won.
Nabi’s side will at least now have their own ten days or so off to recover. Chiefs were supposed to play Royal AM in the Premiership this weekend. But the Premier Soccer League have postponed all of Royal AM’s matches. The KZN side is reportedly set to be sold off by the South African Revenue Service.
On top of needing players to recover their tired bodies, Nabi will have to put all his tactical nous into Chiefs’ next game. They take on Mamelodi Sundowns away from home on March 1.
As for SuperSport, they completed a home-and-away Premiership double over Chiefs, having also beaten them in October.
ALSO READ: Pirates star Mbatha and agent refute drinking allegations
Hunt’s side have only won five of 18 league matches all season, and this was the first time they have scored more than once in any of those games.
“We have played like this all season, it was no different, we just got a bit of reward,” Hunt told SuperSport TV after the win.
“Sometimes in football it takes a bit longer and it is a bit harder. Everyone stuck to their task. The result is the most important thing and we got a few goals and it is good for us.”
SuperSport will now look to make it three wins in a row in all competitions when they host Golden Arrows in the Betway Premiership at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.
Download our app
