Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi described the 4-1 loss to SuperSport United in the Betway Premiership at FNB Stadium on Wednesday as “very painful.”

Chiefs were soundly defeated by Gavin Hunt’s men, who scored two goals in each half, completing a league double over Amakhosi for the first time since the 2011/12 season.

SuperSport’s goals were scored by two former Chiefs players, Samir Nurkovic and Cristian Saile, both of whom respectfully declined to celebrate against their former club. Zambian winger Ghampani Lungu and Siphesihle Ndlovu, the Man of the Match, scored the other two goals in the second half, securing a fifth win this season for Hunt’s side.

“It was a very painful loss, a game we missed,” said Nabi on SuperSport TV after the game.

“Obviously, I’m not going to give excuses, but there are excuses. We only had two days for the players to recover after an exceptional match in the Nedbank Cup over the weekend. Unfortunately, as I said, we can’t give excuses, but they are excuses.”

Chiefs played this game with a man down in the second half after Gaston Sirino’s short fuse was blasted and was sent off, shifting SuperSport the upper hand to score goals.

Nabi continued: “The players’ bodies weren’t responding, and then everything fell apart like a house of cards. We conceded in the third minute, and after 20 minutes, we still hadn’t responded. As I mentioned, when the body isn’t right, then definitely nothing goes well. The first three goals were just giveaways. It happens, even with big teams. You mustn’t judge the team solely on today’s performance.”

This was SuperSport’s first league win in 2025, with their last victory coming against Magesi in December 2024.