Fernando da Cruz praises Kaizer Chiefs mindset after Mamelodi Sundowns draw

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz has praised the mentality of his squad after Amakhosi extended their unbeaten start to the league campaign with a 1-1 draw against African champions Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The result was especially significant for Da Cruz because it came at the end of a demanding run of fixtures, with Chiefs having played three matches in six days.

Langelihle Phili put Chiefs ahead in the second half, but Cassius Mailula equalised for Sundowns to ensure the points were shared. Although Sundowns enjoyed more possession, Da Cruz believed his team competed effectively and created the better opportunities.

“We drew against a big team like Sundowns, we produced a good game, and I’d like to congratulate our squad of players, it was our third game in six days and their mindset was amazing,” Da Cruz said.

The Chiefs manager also highlighted the performances of players who have not been regular starters this season. Thabo Moloisane was handed his debut, while Pule Mmodi was brought into the starting line-up.

“I had two players who’s not had much minutes in the XI, Thabo Moloisane and Pule Mmodi and they had really good games, so I’m very happy about the mindset of the squad.”

Chiefs spent much of the match without the ball as Sundowns controlled possession and held good positions. However, Da Cruz said his side remained a threat and felt the clearest chances fell to Amakhosi, particularly after the interval.

“Sundowns were in a good positions, we defended more than them, we would have liked to have more of the ball and for me, if we look at the game, we had the bigger chances than Sundowns, even if we didn’t have the ball, in the second half we had two or three big chances to score.”

Da Cruz also agreed with Miguel Cardoso’s assessment that the match was played at a high level. He said Chiefs had reached a ‘Champions League’ standard in their contest with the African champions at the Calabash.

The draw allowed Chiefs to maintain their unbeaten record at the start of their league campaign, while Sundowns were held despite their greater share of possession. Chiefs’ ability to take a point after a tightly packed schedule was a particular source of satisfaction for Da Cruz, who praised the entire squad rather than focusing only on the established first-team players.

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