Kaizer Chiefs have successfully navigated their way into the second
preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup, but their progression was
anything but straightforward. After a tense 1-1 draw on aggregate with
Angolan side Kabuscorp at FNB Stadium on Saturday, Amakhosi secured their
passage with a nail-biting 5-4 victory in a penalty shootout.
The hard-fought triumph, which required overcoming a narrow 1-0 deficit from
the first leg, has earned the team praise from an insightful source: former
Amakhosi midfielder Junior Khanye. While Kabuscorp faced significant
logistical challenges, arriving in South Africa with a severely depleted
squad after visa issues sidelined their foreign players, Khanye was quick to
highlight the true quality of the opposition.
In an exclusive interview, Khanye commended Chiefs for a “well-deserved
victory” against a formidable and well-organized side. “What made it even
nicer was that they were not playing against a bad team,” Khanye told the
Siya crew. “You could see that Kabuscorp is well coached – the Brazilian
coach (Roberto Bianchi) is very good tactically and makes his players look
better. I was particularly impressed with their wingers and their number
10.”
Despite the adversities, Khanye noted that Kabuscorp’s disciplined
structure—employing a flat back four and displaying comfort in
possession—made Chiefs’ accomplishment more significant. He asserted that
Amakhosi’s dominance was clear throughout the encounter, creating a
multitude of chances from all angles while remaining solid defensively.
The former winger also offered a tactical compliment to the Chiefs technical
team for their midfield selection. “I must also compliment the technical
team for not using two defensive midfielders,” he said, before adding a
crucial piece of analysis. While praising Sibongiseni Mthethwa’s “excellent”
work rate, Khanye identified an area for improvement, stating, “I still feel
they need someone with more composure and technical quality in that role. If
they had that, they could have scored many goals… they should have been
3-0 up in the first half.”
Buoyed by this hard-earned continental victory, Chiefs now shift their focus
to a demanding domestic schedule. Their attention turns first to a DStv
Premiership clash against AmaZulu at FNB Stadium on Wednesday, followed by a
Carling Knockout fixture against Stellenbosch FC in Cape Town on Sunday.
