Ben Youssef Urges Chiefs To Take Responsibility

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef says his side must take responsibility for costly mistakes after failing to manage their advantage and ultimately paying the price at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night.

Amakhosi suffered a 2-1 defeat to Stellenbosch in their Betway Premiership encounter, despite taking a first-half lead and creating numerous opportunities to put the game beyond reach. The Phefeni Glamour Boys started brightly and were rewarded when Flavio Da Silva found the back of the net after a wave of early pressure.

However, Chiefs were left to rue several missed chances, particularly from Ashley Du Preez, as they dominated large spells of the opening half without extending their advantage.

Reflecting on the result in an interview with SuperSport TV, Ben Youssef did not hide his disappointment.

“It is hard to analyze when you dominated the first half, where you had to kill the game, and you didn’t do that, and in the second half, we conceded in the first 50 minutes,” Ben Youssef said.

“I think we have to take our responsibility sometimes, and we have to see our mistakes, then also analyze the game well. We have to say sorry to the fans for this loss, and I think now we have to think about the next game, and we don’t have a lot of time to discuss this game.

“But it is the same mistake, when you score first in the first half, then you have to keep the game and manage it. We got almost seven chances in the first half, but we missed all of them.”

Stellenbosch turned the match around in the second half, with Langelihle Phili and Devin Titus scoring to secure the victory. Titus, who also netted a stunning goal earlier this month when Stellies eliminated Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup in Cape Town, once again proved decisive.

Following the defeat, Chiefs remained fourth on the Betway Premiership table with 30 points from 16 matches. Attention now quickly shifts to a highly anticipated Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Ben Youssef acknowledged the mental challenge ahead but expressed confidence in his technical team’s role in lifting the squad.

“That’s our job, in this tough moment we have to take care of the players, especially their mentality to keep them up,” he added.

“We have to continue to work, and when we win, we don’t have to enjoy a lot, and when we lose, we have to continue to work. We will have a derby now, and we won’t have a lot of time, and we have to think about it and do well.”

With little time to dwell on their disappointment, Amakhosi will be aiming to quickly regroup as they prepare for one of the biggest fixtures on the domestic calendar.