Lingelihle Phili praised by Fernando Da Cruz after Kaizer Chiefs draw with Sundowns

Fernando Da Cruz has praised Lingelihle Phili after the midfielder scored his first Kaizer Chiefs goal in a 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Phili put Chiefs ahead in the second half, capping an impressive start since joining the club from Stellenbosch. However, Mamelodi Sundowns responded when striker Cassius Mailula came off the bench to score the equaliser and ensure the points were shared.

Da Cruz said Phili now needed to build on his promising display, while also improving his ability to retain possession when Chiefs are under pressure.

“First of all, I would love that he continues to score,” Da Cruz said.

“But also, in situations like today where we’re going to have to defend for long periods, I would love it if he is able to keep the ball more, support the team by keeping the ball because in the first half he lost the ball too much for me.”

The 21-year-old was substituted after scoring and receiving a yellow card for removing his shirt during his celebration. Da Cruz said Phili was still adapting to his new surroundings and needed time to become more effective within the team.

“The difficulty against an opponent like that, that has a bit more of the ball, when you win the ball back, you expect him to keep it.

“In the first half he lost too many balls. At half time we told him he needed to keep the ball, and he was much better in the second half. But he is still someone finding his bearings in the organisation and we need to give him a bit more time. The further we go, the more important a player he will be for the team.”

Phili has now made three appearances for Kaizer Chiefs since moving to the club. His goal gave Chiefs the lead, but Sundowns’ late response denied Da Cruz’s side victory.

Da Cruz also expressed satisfaction with the performances of Thabo Moloisane and Pule Mmodi, who both made their first appearances on the pitch under him this season.

Sundowns manager Miguel Cardoso was pleased with the way his side recovered from falling behind, although he challenged his players to show the same determination earlier in matches.

“What I think is important is that we show character to fight for results until the last minute, but we should also show character to fight for results from the first minute,” Cardoso said.

“I don’t like to win matches at the end. I prefer to win them in the beginning because that’s when teams can obviously manage the context, coaches can manage players, make changes and give opportunities to others.”

The draw left the two clubs sharing the points after an encounter in which Chiefs had taken the advantage through Phili before Mailula restored parity for Mamelodi Sundowns.

Sowetan also invited readers to join its WhatsApp channel to receive the latest news on their mobile devices.