Kaizer Chiefs’ DR Congo striker Christian Saile says he’s working hard to rediscover his goalscoring form. Photo: BackpagePix
Chiefs coach refuses to blame misfiring Christian Saile
Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane has come to the defence of forward Christian Saile Basomboli after a couple of shock misses against Pirates.
Kaizer Chiefs’ DR Congo striker Christian Saile says he’s working hard to rediscover his goalscoring form. Photo: BackpagePix
Chiefs forward Christian Saile Basomboli came under fire from spectators at FNB Stadium – as well as from social media users – after two horrible misses in front of goal against Pirates on Saturday.
Early on in the Nedbank Cup semi-final against the Buccaneers, Basomboli fluffed a golden chance right in front of goal, with Pirates scoring soon after to compound the situation.
WATCH: Shocking Chiefs miss before Pirates take lead
The forward then had an opportunity at redemption when he had another great chance to head home a goal, but from point-blank range, he missed the target.
Although Chiefs ultimately did find a way to draw level and take the game into extra-time, Pirates ultimately emerged victorious 2-1.
ALSO READ | Then vs now: Look away Chiefs fans, Pirates get revenge!
After the game, Zwane insisted that Basomboli should not be made a scapegoat.
“If you look at the chances that we created today, Saile was in the right place. Ash (Ashley du Preez) created the space for him to exploit and he did exploit the space but he just couldn’t find the target, which is something that we can work on,” he commented, as quoted by iDiski Times.
“It’s better than having a player on the field who doesn’t understand what you expect from him. He was in the right area at the right time, unfortunately he just couldn’t convert.
“We cannot now put the blame on him because of that. That’s the nature of football – you win some and you lose some. Sometimes you take those opportunities, sometimes you don’t take them.”
You can see the misses from the Chiefs forward below:
ALSO READ | Striker set for shock exit from Kaizer Chiefs?
LINEUPS FROM SATURDAY
Kaizer Chiefs XI: Petersen, Dove, Ngezana, Hlanti, Frosler, Solomons, Zwane, Maart, Sithebe, Du Preez, Saile.
Subs: Bvuma, Alexander, Ngcobo, Kwinika, Matlou, Bimenyimana, Shabalala, Mashiane, Sekgota.
ALSO READ • Sundowns to send South American star out on loan to PSL rivals
Orlando Pirates XI: Chaine, Sibisi, Xoki, Shandu, Mako, Timm, Monare, Dlamini, Saleng, Erasmus, Dzvukamanja.
Subs: Mpontshane, Pule, Mthethwa, Ratomo, Makhaula, Nga, Ndlondlo, Hotto, Monyane.
