Da Cruz calls for Kaizer Chiefs unity ahead of Red Arrows second leg

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz has urged the club’s supporters to stay united after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Red Arrows in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup tie.

The away loss was Kaizer Chiefs’ first in recent weeks and increased frustration among the Amakhosi faithful. However, Da Cruz believes his side can overturn the deficit when the teams meet again on Friday.

Speaking after the match, the coach acknowledged the supporters’ disappointment but said their backing would be important in the decisive return fixture.

“They shouldn’t be very happy right now. No, I know very well they are not happy. Because the results today at PSL, we don’t lose, we don’t win either. Today, we lost,” Da Cruz said.

“But the first leg is a return match. We need the supporters for the game on Friday. To support us, because I know that the team is able to reverse the result.

“What is most important is that in difficult moments we must stay united, players, staff, club and supporters to get through this period and get better results.”

Da Cruz also admitted that Kaizer Chiefs had struggled to create chances against the Zambian side, describing it as an unusual performance for his team this season.

He said changes would be made to make the side more attacking in the second leg and improve their prospects of reaching the next round.

“We have to be more impactful, more offensive. It’s the first game since the start of the season where we have created so few chances, but it’s not a habit,” he said.

“We are going to put something in place to allow us to reverse the result. For sure, we need to change something to create more chances.

“Normally, we create more chances in PSL. It’s the first time that we didn’t create a lot of chances, so we need to analyse and after we need to change something to be able to qualify.”

Kaizer Chiefs will need to win 1-0 at home on Friday to take the tie into extra time. A victory by two goals would send them through to the next round.