Ben Youssef: We Have To Go To Egypt And Qualify

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef reflected on a week of contrasting emotions after the loss to Stellenbosch was followed by a crucial 2-1 victory over Al Masry that sent Amakhosi to the top of Group D in the CAF Confederation Cup.

However, he has urged his players to go to Egypt and qualify for the knockout stages against Zamalek next weekend.

The Phefeni Glamour Boys came into Sunday’s continental encounter carrying the weight of disappointment after being eliminated from the Nedbank Cup round of 32 by Stellenbosch on Wednesday.

That defeat was especially painful for Chiefs, as it meant they failed to defend the Nedbank Cup title they won last season, a triumph that had helped them qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup for this season.

With morale tested and confidence shaken, the clash against the Egyptian giants arrived at a critical moment in their campaign.

The match also carried an element of revenge for Amakhosi, as Al Masry had beaten Chiefs 2-1 in Egypt in the opening game of the group stage last year.

Chiefs responded with determination and intensity, producing a performance that not only earned three valuable points but also lifted them to the summit of Group D.

Explaining what the victory meant after a difficult period, Ben Youssef underlined the psychological challenge his squad had faced.

“It was a difficult game for us because we’re coming from bad results,” Ben Youssef said.

“It was mentally tough for the players, and we spent a lot of time with the players to keep them motivated and working hard, and now we’re number one in the group.

“We want to qualify for the next round, so we have to go to Egypt to qualify and come back with all three points, and a minimum of one point.

“I think all the players know the importance of these games; we’re playing every three games in a cup final, and we have to come back with good results in each game.”

Despite the positive result, Chiefs once again created numerous scoring chances but struggled to be ruthless in front of goal, a pattern that has followed them throughout the season.

Amakhosi dominated large spells of the match, yet found it difficult to turn opportunities into goals.

Addressing whether this ongoing issue causes stress within the technical team, the Tunisian mentor was quick to credit the opposition.

“I think when you’re in this situation, you have to say congratulations to the goalkeeper (Mahmoud Abdelbaky) of the opposing team,” Ben Youssef added.

“I think the goalkeeper of Al Masry did a good job, he made the right decisions and had a great performance from him. For Pule Mmodi, he got two opportunities to score, and he was unlucky.

“But what we can do is to continue to work with our analysts to see different situations.

“We will continue to work, and the only situation that has come up a lot for us is to correct the scoring issue at training.”

A draw against Zamalek on Sunday in Egypt will be enough for Amakhosi to advance to the knockout stages, renewing a matchup that saw the two sides play to a 1-1 draw in South Africa last year.