Kaizer Chiefs suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Tanzanian giants Young Africans in the Toyota Cup final on Sunday. The result exposed the utter disparity between the two sides and highlighted the immense task facing new coach Nasreddine Nabi as he seeks to restore the club to its former glory.
Despite giving inexperienced players a chance to shine, the Amakhosi were unable to cope with the intensity and quality of Young Africans’ performance, and his youthful side was comprehensively outplayed by the Tanzanian champions.
Prince Dube opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute before Stephane Aziz Ki doubled their lead just before halftime. The second half was a nightmare for Chiefs as Clement Mzize slotted home before Ki added his second of the game to complete the rout.
While Nabi remains optimistic about the potential of his young charges, the harsh reality of the situation cannot be ignored. The club’s supporters will be demanding a swift turnaround in fortunes as they look to reclaim their position as one of South Africa’s top teams.
It’s obviously disappointing, today’s loss, but it’s a friendly game, we are busy learning from our mistakes and we’ll build a strong team, definitely,” Nabi told SuperSport TV.
“Despite the loss, great things did happen and we will build upon those good things that happened to make great performances in the future.
“I’d like to congratulate Young Africans on the performances today, we have a young team that lacks experience, they are learning, and will learn from their mistakes, we will build a strong team,” he concluded.
In an attempt to bolster the squad, Chiefs have already signed goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari and defender Rushwin Dortley, with more new arrivals expected. However, the club will have to hit the ground running when the DStv Premiership season kicks off on September 14th against Marumo Gallants.
With no MTN8 to contend with, Chiefs have additional time to prepare for the new campaign. However, the pressure is on Nabi and his team to deliver results quickly and restore pride to the Kaizer Chiefs badge.