Kaizer Chiefs boss Da Cruz frustrated by ‘stupid’ goals despite progress

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz says his side are developing in the right direction, despite another costly defensive error leaving them with only a point against Polokwane City.

Chiefs were held to a 1-1 draw at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, surrendering a lead and dropping two important points in the process. Lebohang Maboe had put the visitors ahead in the first half before goalkeeper and captain Brandon Petersen was beaten directly from a corner by Giovanni Philander in the 73rd minute.

The goal was Petersen’s fourth howler of the season and increased the pressure on Da Cruz to leave him out of the team.

Da Cruz was particularly unhappy because Chiefs had restricted Polokwane City to few opportunities, while goalkeeper Petersen had made two important saves before the equaliser.

“For sure it’s very disappointing [to concede from a direct corner kick] because we made good changes when Brandon made two very big saves in the first half. We knew they’re good at set pieces and crosses, but when we concede this type of goal we should be disappointed,” Da Cruz said.

The Chiefs manager said Saturday’s mistake followed a pattern seen in recent matches against Richards Bay and Siwelele. In each of those games, he believes the opposition created little but benefited from errors by his team.

“But now since Richards Bay, then Siwelele, and today [Saturday] Polokwane City, the opponent doesn’t create chances, but we make big mistakes, and we give opponents the chance to score goals,” he said.

Da Cruz accepted that the draw was frustrating but argued that Chiefs’ attacking play and their progress under his system remained positive. The team have scored in every game, according to the coach, who said the players were continuing to adapt to his style.

“We just concede stupid goals, but we are on the right track because in every game we score. We will continue to attack and develop our model game. OK, we are disappointed with the result today, but we are on the right track about the adaptation of the players with our model game.”

Chiefs will have little time to reflect on the result, with their next match against Golden Arrows at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday. The game is scheduled to begin at 3pm.