Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi admits his side found the game difficult against Magesi FC, just as they had expected, despite their opponents lying second from bottom on the table.
Chiefs laboured for most of the match at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday before finding the breakthrough in the 69th minute through substitute Ashley Du Preez, who swept home after a swift counter-attacking move.
Nabi says the lethargic display was down to the changes he made to the starting line-up but is grateful that his team still managed to get the job done against a Magesi team that shocked both Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in the Telkom Knockout this season.
“We knew that it was going to be a difficult game, Magesi are always difficult against big teams,” Nabi told SuperSport TV after the match.
What did Nabi say?
“We saw it in the Carling against [Orlando] Pirates and we knew it was gonna be a difficult game.
“And even for ourselves, the fact of having a lot of changes, the first line-up we struggled a little bit in the first half to get on the front foot, to get going but we were better in the second half. In this kind of game what you need is three points to get going.”
Victory did not change Chiefs’ position on the table as they remained eighth but now with 28 points from 20 matches, ending their run of two straight defeats.
Up next for Nabi and his men is a Nedbank Cup quarter-final trip to Stellenbosch FC on Saturday March 8.
