Kaizer Chiefs coach Khalil Ben Youssef has rallied behind Ashley Du Preez after his near-miss in their draw in the CAF Confederation Cup match against AS Simba, attributing the difficulty to the challenging pitch conditions.

Du Preez had an unmissable opportunity to score in the 88th minute, but he was unlucky, failing to find the net from a great cross provided by Mduduzi Shabalala.

The ball was a product of excellent combination play between Shabalala and Mfundo Vilakazi, and Du Preez was left unmarked to receive the cross. However, the former Stellenbosch forward’s effort was not enough to find the back of the net. 

Despite the miss, Ben Youssef believes that Du Preez shouldn’t be defined by the miss, citing the difficult playing conditions. 

“You see the situation of the game, the pitch, and the competitor,” Ben Youssef said. 

“We prepared our players beforehand about the situation. They knew it would be a tough game.”

Ben Youssef explained that the pitch conditions dictated the style of play, with both teams resorting to long balls. 

“Really, in this kind of pitch, you can’t play. So for that, we were only playing long ball like them, because it’s difficult to manage with this kind of pitch.” 

The Tunisian mentor also praised his team’s strategy, which was to manage the first 45 minutes without conceding and then look to exploit the spaces left by Simba as they pushed for a winner.

“I think the plan of the game was how we can manage the first 45 minutes, first we don’t concede, then we know that the opponent team will take a lot of risk,” he stated.

“We knew they would try to press higher; they will leave us a lot of space. Then we said we will introduce our Shabalala, Du Preez, and Wandile Duba to give us the speed and the solution in the deep.”

The coach highlighted two opportunities his team had to score, including Du Preez’s miss. 

“And I think the first half, we got two opportunities to score, but we were unlucky,” he said.

“One of them crossbar of Khanyisa Mayo, and the second was in the 88^th minute, I think a good combination between Shabalala, Vilakazi, and then Shabalala gave it to Ashley. He was unlucky, even though it was an empty goal; he was unlucky. 

“But the plan of the game, I think we succeeded in the plan of the game, how we managed the first 45 minutes, and we know that in the second half we will find a lot of space. And we got two opportunities in the second half to score, but we were unlucky not to score.”

Ben Youssef also extolled the virtues of Glody Lilepo, who played through an ankle injury. 

“Lilepo, before this game, he got a small injury in his ankle, but he decided to play with the team,” he added.

“Then in the 65^th minute, we saw that he couldn’t continue with the play, then we decided to substitute him with Ashley. 

“We knew that Ashley would give us something with his qualities and the speed, and he got opportunities to score, but he was unlucky not to score.”

The second leg of the tie will take place at Dobsonville Stadium next Saturday, with both teams needing a win to advance to the group stages. 

Before that, Amakhosi will face Siwelele in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.