Chiefs’ Nabi frustrated by Sundowns loss despite brave fight

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has expressed his disappointment at the narrow 1-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

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Amakhosi gave a good account of themselves in the tightly contested Betway Premiership match. However, it was the Brazilians who claimed all three points in Tshwane thanks to a solitary strike by Lucas Ribeiro late in the first half.

Chiefs’ Nabi – ‘We had a strong performance’

The Tunisian coach put on a brave face when addressing the media following the mammoth game that was played in front of a packed stadium. Chiefs fought in vain searching for an equaliser, and Nabi feels his team could’ve at least left with a point from the game.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Sundowns for the three points. I feel frustrated for my players, the fans, and everyone that supported Kaizer Chiefs today,” he said.

“I feel that we had a strong performance that could’ve given us something better than what we got, but that’s football and we have to accept it.”

Before the league clash, the two heavyweights had already played each other twice. Sundowns won the reverse league fixture 2-1, while the Carling Knockout ended in a 4-0 victory for the Tshwane-based team.

“The first game, I believe that if it wasn’t for the referee’s mistake, we could have won 2-1,” Nabi reflected.

‘Context’ required

“The second game in the cup, I would say that it was a complete off day for us and we were outclassed. Today’s game, it was bad luck to lose it after the performance that we had, but we have to put all those three games in context. In the context of a team that hasn’t won a cup in 10 years against a team that has been champions seven times (in a row) and is at the top of African football.

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“Our team is in the process of building itself, and I believe that the prestige of our name, the players feel it. That’s why when you look at the league standings, there is a huge gap, but when you look on the field today, you couldn’t tell the difference. That’s why I believe that we are on the right track in making the team better and will have better outcomes in the future.”