KAIZER Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic has been left astonished and impressed with a remarkable display of mental strength by his team.
Expected to be cautious after suffering three successive defeats at the hands of rivals Orlando Pirates in as many Soweto derbies, Amakhosi instead produced a domineering performance to edge Bucs 2-1 in a Premiership match at Soccer City on Saturday afternoon.
But it's the sort of guts and mental fortitude that has filled Vermezovic with hope and the expectation that his side can dominate this season.
"We are still growing as a team and I'd like to see more of this kind of performance from this team," said Vermezovic. "I'm happy that this team can perform under pressure and that's the big thing for me. I expected Pirates to come into the match with lots of confidence after their good run against us. But it was also important for us to perform well and try to win."
Gloom lifted on Amakhosi as pressure also eased somewhat for the Serb after Chiefs ended a terrible week, in which they also lost to Ajax Cape Town, on a positive note.
But more work lies ahead for the team that saw striker Lehlohonolo Majoro again struggle to impose himself and high-profile signing Bernard Parker finally scoring his first league goal in five matches.
Parker scored quickly in the match, thus easing pressure and allowing Amakhosi to play. Quicksilver midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala grabbed the second on the stroke of halftime for Chiefs, a goal that made Happy Jele's last-minute goal immaterial.
"The plan before the game was to play one team, change eight players for the Ajax game and return the same team against Pirates," said Vermezovic.
"We knew chances wouldn't come easy against Pirates, after losing two of our last games."
Counterpart Julio Leal also admitted Chiefs played better on the day while his star players dished out terrible performances.
"Some of our players, particularly the two who came back to the team after the Wednesday game, were not there. They gave away the ball to the opponents," said Leal.
Workhorse Andile Jali was awful and literally accounted for the two goals Bucs conceded. Tlou Segolela was as terrible.
Comeback kids: Kaizer Chiefs win 2-1
KAIZER Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic has been left astonished and impressed with a remarkable display of mental strength by his team.
Expected to be cautious after suffering three successive defeats at the hands of rivals Orlando Pirates in as many Soweto derbies, Amakhosi instead produced a domineering performance to edge Bucs 2-1 in a Premiership match at Soccer City on Saturday afternoon.
But it's the sort of guts and mental fortitude that has filled Vermezovic with hope and the expectation that his side can dominate this season.
"We are still growing as a team and I'd like to see more of this kind of performance from this team," said Vermezovic. "I'm happy that this team can perform under pressure and that's the big thing for me. I expected Pirates to come into the match with lots of confidence after their good run against us. But it was also important for us to perform well and try to win."
Gloom lifted on Amakhosi as pressure also eased somewhat for the Serb after Chiefs ended a terrible week, in which they also lost to Ajax Cape Town, on a positive note.
But more work lies ahead for the team that saw striker Lehlohonolo Majoro again struggle to impose himself and high-profile signing Bernard Parker finally scoring his first league goal in five matches.
Parker scored quickly in the match, thus easing pressure and allowing Amakhosi to play. Quicksilver midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala grabbed the second on the stroke of halftime for Chiefs, a goal that made Happy Jele's last-minute goal immaterial.
"The plan before the game was to play one team, change eight players for the Ajax game and return the same team against Pirates," said Vermezovic.
"We knew chances wouldn't come easy against Pirates, after losing two of our last games."
Counterpart Julio Leal also admitted Chiefs played better on the day while his star players dished out terrible performances.
"Some of our players, particularly the two who came back to the team after the Wednesday game, were not there. They gave away the ball to the opponents," said Leal.
Workhorse Andile Jali was awful and literally accounted for the two goals Bucs conceded. Tlou Segolela was as terrible.
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