Chiefs Dedicate Opening Win To Nabi

Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef dedicated the team’s opening victory over Stellenbosch to head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who missed the game to be with his wife following a car accident in Tunisia.

Nabi had left South Africa on Friday, just days before Chiefs’ 2-0 win at Athlone Stadium on Sunday.

The goals came from set-pieces: a brilliant first-half free-kick by Nkosingiphile Ngcobo in the first half and a stoppage-time penalty from Glody Lilepo.

“First of all, we promised the entire Khosi family that we would win this game for the coach and for his wife. We pray that he will be okay and that she will get better,” Ben Youssef told SuperSport TV after the match.

Ben Youssef praised the players’ performance but admitted the team struggled mentally after taking an early lead and seeing their opponents reduced to 10 men.

“We are so proud of our players; they did very well,” he said. “I think they performed very well. We suffered a little bit at the start because when we scored and the opponent got a red card [Siviwe Nkwali in the 13th minute], we thought the game was finished. We were lucky that we didn’t concede. In the second half, we changed a lot of things.”

He also expressed gratitude for the fans, who packed the stadium. “We are happy for the fans. When you see this, you always feel at home. All the fans are so happy, so now this game is over, and we start to think about the next game against Polokwane City.”

Ben Youssef also clarified the bizarre substitution of goalscorer Ngcobo at halftime, explaining that the midfielder was experiencing pain. “We made a substitution because he was feeling a little bit of pain, so we didn’t want to take a risk,” he said. “I think this season will be better for us, and we will perform very well.”