Da Cruz frustrated as defensive mistakes cost Kaizer Chiefs more points

Kaizer Chiefs coach Da Cruz says repeated defensive errors are preventing his side from turning strong performances into victories after they were forced to come from behind twice in their latest match.

Captain and first-choice goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was responsible for a costly error that led to the opening goal, while both goals conceded were scored by Nqaba Xulu. The second came from a corner kick which Amakhosi could have prevented.

Although Chiefs eventually fought back to earn a point, Da Cruz believes the mistakes are avoidable and that his team should have taken all three points.

“Very disappointing because our team attacked during the 90 minutes and one team will defend during the 90 minutes and we made two big mistakes and today it’s one point but normally, it should be three points,” Da Cruz said.

The result leaves Chiefs with eight points, but Da Cruz believes they could have maintained a perfect record and collected 12 points if not for the costly lapses that have also affected them against Mamelodi Sundowns.

The coach said his players must use the latest match as another lesson, while continuing to build on the positive aspects of their display.

“You are right, today we have eight points but we should have 12 points because against Mamelodi Sundowns as well we made mistakes. So, today we need to learn from our mistakes and continue to work hard,” the coach added.

“It’s very disappointing but also we are happy with the performance as the team because the team played well but we cannot make these types of mistakes at this level.”

Chiefs had to show resilience on two occasions after falling behind. They responded with a first-half penalty converted by Lebohang Maboe before Siphesihle Ndlovu scored late in the second half.

Despite his frustration at the goals conceded, Da Cruz was encouraged by the performance of his attacking players and by the impact made by those introduced from the bench.

On-loan winger Faiz Abrahams made his debut after replacing Mfundo Vilakazi. Asanele Velebhayi also provided an immediate contribution, supplying an assist just one minute after coming on.

The manager welcomed the influence of the substitutes, but the defensive problems remain a concern as Chiefs continue to drop points from matches in which they have produced enough attacking quality to win.

Da Cruz’s assessment was that the overall performance deserved more than a draw. However, he stressed that Chiefs cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes if they are to challenge consistently and convert their promising displays into victories.