Africa-Press – South-Africa. Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane was loath to gloat over their extended hoodoo against Orlando Pirates, saying theirs is to win every game they play.
In beating their bitter rivals 1-0 at the FNB Stadium on Saturday through a freak own goal by Pirates’ Olisa Ndah, they recorded their second consecutive Soweto Derby league double over their opponents.
Chiefs are now on a five-match winning streak against Pirates in the league, a remarkable stat considering Chiefs’ fluctuating form in those games where they’ve had different coaches.
Zwane didn’t even flash a smile despite the success that brought them level with Pirates and Richards Bay on points despite their inferior goal difference.
However, Zwane did display a smidgen of emotion when he said the win mattered for the fans.
“We always want to put a smile on the faces of the supporters and make them happy,” Zwane said.
“However, it’s just another six points for us because I don’t want our players to focus on just beating Orlando Pirates.
“We want to beat every team that we come across, but this win was also important for us as a club and the history between the clubs.
“That’s why we have to beat them.”
The fact that Chiefs didn’t put Pirates away more affirmatively was a concern for Zwane, especially when the Buccaneers were a man down from the hour-mark onwards after Innocent Maela was sent off for a foul on Christian Saile.
Chiefs, for all their erratic endeavour, needed Ndah, a defender who has endless misfortune against Chiefs, to nod in a speculative Edmilson Dove long ball.
Zwane admitted they still have trouble putting away teams who are a man short, but said they’ll get better at that in their nine remaining league games.
“It is a worrying habit, and I don’t know why because in training we try to have those kinds of functional sessions and drills,” Zwane said.
“That’s to make sure we exploit those spaces so that we can draw them from places and create the opportunities.
“We were forced to go wide in this game to create space because we played two strikers in the second half.
“We only looked dangerous when we played the ball behind them and not in front of them.”
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