Kaze praises Chiefs’ character after dramatic draw with Zamalek

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze believes his side showed the necessary mettle to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup knockout stages, despite only managing a 1-1 home draw against Egyptian giants Zamalek.

The PSL side aced a demanding opening spell at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium, conceding a goal in the first five minutes and being forced into two early substitutions due to injury, losing both Bradley Cross and the recently returned Gaston Sirino within the first 15 minutes.

However, a late strike from Dillon Solomons salvaged a crucial point for Amakhosi, keeping them in third place in a tightly contested Group D after two matches played.

While acknowledging that the late point was valuable, Kaze suggested his team deserved more from the contest, praising the mental fortitude displayed by his players after the tumultuous start.

Chiefs Snatch Point From Jaws of Defeat Against Zamalek

“I think it’s a result that if you look at how the game was you’d say it’s a good point, but I’d say that we could have had more,” Kaze commented after the final whistle.

The Chiefs co-coach highlighted the challenges faced, including the physical and psychological toll of playing a North African side.

“Football is like that, and we are happy for the point that we got because it was tough, conceding a goal in the first two, three minutes, having two injuries in the first 15 minutes, and we had to make two subs already in the first 15 minutes.”

“And you know when you play against North African teams when they are leading, you have to stay very calm and be prepared not to be frustrated and nervous because sometimes, even when they call a player, he faces down. All the time, they try to kill the momentum of the game.”

Despite the adversity, Kaze maintained that Chiefs dictated the play for the majority of the encounter following the opening period.

“But I believe that after the first 15 minutes, we were the better team on the field. We tried to do everything we can to bring the ball up to attack, to try to equalise. At the end, we got one point, and we are now going to focus on the next games.”

Crucially, Kaze took confidence from the character shown by his squad, seeing it as a sign of future success in the competition.

“But what I saw today I saw a team that believes in themselves and a team that I believe is going to qualify [for the knockout stages].”