Kaizer Chiefs caretaker coach Khalid Ben Youssef said his side rode their luck to emerge as winners in their opening match of the Betway Premiership season, beating Stellenbosch 2-0 away at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
A superb freekick from Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, after Stellenbosch defender Siviwe Nkwali had been sent off, put Chiefs ahead inside the opening quarter-hour but they then had to struggle as Stellenbosch dominated the rest of the first half and twice saw the ball bounce back off their woodwork.
“It's tough to play against a team with a player who has been sent out because when you then score, you think that the game is then going to be more easy for you,” said Ben Youssef, standing in for coach Nasreddine Nabi, who had left for Tunisia after his wife suffered a fall off a roof and broke leg her leg and punctured her lung.
“So to keep concentration and to keep focus on the game, it was difficult for the players in the first half. We found some difficulty in the first half and we were lucky they didn't score,” Ben Youssef added.
But a halftime change with Ngcobo going off and Sibongiseni Mthethwa coming on to add more muscle in the midfield, allowed for a much more balanced second period.,
“I was so proud about the performance of our players and also the players coming from the bench. We discussed about that before the game in our meeting. We need the players coming in from the bench to help us.”
A late penalty, converted by Glody Lilepo, added a second goal for Chiefs, who have now beaten Stellenbosch five times in a row away from home.
Next up for Chiefs will be Polokwane City at Soccer City on Wednesday where Ben Youssef said he hoped new signings Ethan Chislett, Nkanyiso Shinga and Flavio Silva would be registered in time for the midweek match.
“I think when our new players are available, it will be better for us. They will give us more solutions, we waiting for them and we'll continue to work,” Ben Youssef added.