Da Cruz reveals Maboe blow for Chiefs as he bemoans lack of maturity

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Lebohang Maboe is now a doubt for the upcoming Bafana Bafana squad after picking up an injury during his club’s goalless draw against Lamontville Golden Arrows.

Maboe, who had a notable first half that included a missed penalty, was forced off early in the second half. Head coach Fernando Da Cruz confirmed the substitution was not tactical but due to a physical issue.

The midfielder is the only Chiefs player selected by Pitso Mosimane for the national team, making his potential absence a significant blow.

Da Cruz confirms Maboe injury

“We made a like-for-like change for Maboe; unfortunately, his injury came a bit early in the second half,” Da Cruz told SuperSport TV. “After that, we were a bit imbalanced in midfield.”

Da Cruz explained that his subsequent substitutions were aimed at securing a victory, despite the team’s inability to find the back of the net.

“The other substitutions were to win the game. I changed the attacking players to win the game because we always want to win,” he said. “But unfortunately, today, we hit the post and had opportunities, but we didn’t score.”

Chiefs coach on lack of maturity

Despite the frustrating result, the coach remains optimistic about his team’s progress, particularly the development of his young forwards.

“We have a lack of maturity in our frontline,” Da Cruz added. “They are young players with a lot of quality, but they lack maturity. But we are on a good path. We have to continue this way, and we will score, I’m 100% sure.”

He concluded by praising the quality of the match, stating, “People who watched on TV today saw a 0-0, but they watched a very good game.”