Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner urges fans to match Red Arrows’ ‘intimidating’ atmosphere

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner says the atmosphere created by Red Arrows supporters contributed to Amakhosi’s 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie.

Chiefs were beaten by the Zambian side at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, leaving them needing a two-goal victory in the return fixture to reach the group stage.

Leaner made another start in goal with first-choice goalkeeper Brandon Petersen still sidelined by injury. He kept the score down despite early pressure and several long-range attempts from the hosts, but could not prevent Red Arrows from taking the lead in the 75th minute.

The decisive goal came after Chiefs failed to clear a set-piece. Red Arrows captain Alassane Diarra was left unmarked and rose to head powerfully past Leaner from close range.

The result also highlighted defensive and structural problems for Fernando Da Cruz’s side, who must now overturn the deficit in Durban.

Leaner said the visiting supporters played their part in making the match difficult for Chiefs and called on the club’s fans to create a similarly forceful atmosphere in the second leg.

“This game is very important for the Club. Our goal is to advance to the group stage. We are a big team and we are in a big competition,” Leaner told the club’s media.

“We need our fans out in numbers to support us because in Zambia their fans made it a bit of an ‘intimidating’ environment, so we need our brilliant fans to reciprocate for the whole 90 minutes because it won’t be easy and our fans are our 12th man who help us a lot to get over the line on the field.”

Chiefs must score at least once to level the tie, but Leaner said the team’s priority would be to combine attacking urgency with defensive discipline.

“It’s obvious [that we need to win], but our first task is to get one goal and then go for another one, as well as focus on keeping a clean sheet,” he added.

The goalkeeper said Chiefs had reviewed the first match and identified areas where they could exploit their opponents.

“We have analysed where we went wrong in Zambia and had a look at how they played and where we might capitalise on some of their weaknesses, so we believe we can succeed on Friday,” he said.

The second leg is scheduled for Friday, 23 October 2026, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Kick-off is at 18:00 CAT.