Kaizer Chiefs head coach Steve Komphela has leapt to the defence of Willard Katsande, who missed a penalty late in the second half in the 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby on Saturday.
The Warriors’ captain had a penalty saved by Brighton Mhlongo in the closing stages of the encounter.
“We could have won this match, one has to be very honest, as much there were a couple threats, Pirates sat back and were looking to hit us on the transition,” Komphela said after the game.
“We just needed to have a good defensive balance, while in attack, there were stages where we lacked the respect in such incidents.
“With regards to the outcome of the match, we performed well. We showed that we wanted to win the match, but we lacked killer instinct. The penalty, that you must take.
“But players miss penalties, he is just missing it at the wrong time and you going home 1-1, are you happy with the result? You can’t be because this is one that you should have won.
“There were scenarios where you could have taken it, When you are fighting for three points, fighting for your life, wanting to win the championship, chances like these you must take.”
The coach said, of course, his men will be disappointed for not collecting all points.
“It is a question of focus and understanding that this is the moment that defines everything. Penalties are missed by a lot of players, we have seen the Roberto Baggios and Beckhams and all that. It is unfortunate,” he told SABCTV.
“But with the number of chances we had could have done better. Even in the first half, before we went to the dressing room we should have taken advantage. We regret we couldn’t get three points, performance-wise it’s okay.
“But there were also areas where Pirates were ahead of us, we didn’t manage that very well. Just tied to that, we were almost there . . . 82nd minute it’s almost done. We were about to make a substitution in fact, we had to hold and see what happened with the penalty. — SoccerLaduma/Kick-Off
