Kaizer Chiefs fans were left dejected after their side were embarrased by bitter rivals Orlando Pirates with a 3-0 drubbing in the Betway Premiership encounter at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
Kaizer Chiefs Cedric Kaze cut a subdued figure on Saturday evening as Amakhosi’s’ long wait for derby redemption dragged on, the club suffering yet another painful setback against their fiercest rivals.
The Soweto Derby, often a measure of nerve as much as quality, once again exposed Chiefs’ fragility as they slipped to a damaging league defeat.
It marked a fifth successive Soweto Derby loss in the league for Kaizer Chiefs, and perhaps the most disappointing of the sequence.
Not only was the result familiar, but the manner of the defeat — passive, second-best and emotionally draining — left little room for mitigation.
Goals from Tshepang Moremi and Oswin Appollis in the first half effectively settled the contest before Chiefs could impose themselves.
A late strike by substitute Evidence Makgopa merely underlined Pirates’ dominance on a day when Chiefs never truly arrived at the party.
Speaking afterwards, a visibly deflated Cedric Kaze followed the familiar ritual of accountability, echoing sentiments expressed by his fellow co-coach earlier in the week after defeat to Stellenbosch.
The apology, however, carried extra weight given the stage and the expectations attached to it.
“First of all, on my name and behalf of the players, I’d like to apologize to the fans because they deserved better than today and we were not up to the task today and we have to acknowledge that.”
Chiefs’ struggles were evident almost from kick-off. Despite placing emphasis on a fast and aggressive start, they were undone early, conceding from a situation they had anticipated.
“It’s a game that we emphasised the importance of the first 15 minutes, we wanted to be on the front foot and alive but unfortunately we conceded a short corner which we prepared really well because we knew that’s how they would set up.”
What followed was a derby played largely on Pirates’ terms. Chiefs were outmuscled in midfield, second to loose balls and slow to react in key moments — deficiencies Kaze acknowledged with refreshing honesty.
“We lost a lot of duels and the challenges and so in the first half, we were not good but tried to change it in the second half but we have to also congratulate Pirates for the tricks they played with their players falling down because maybe that’s experience.”
While Chiefs searched for answers, Orlando Pirates found validation. Head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou believed the difference lay not in effort, but in execution.
“What changed in this game ? , the fighting spirit has been here since the beginning of the season, the aim to play quality football is also here so what changed today was the efficiency in the area of the truth, it means our finishing was spot on as well as set-pieces.”
For Ouaddou, the performance represented a benchmark rather than an outlier.
“I’m a really proud coach, I’m proud of my boys today , this was the kind of performance that I expected from them, a high level performance that we can expect if we want to play with high ambition.”
As Pirates march on with confidence and clarity, Chiefs are left to confront uncomfortable truths.
Apologies may soothe the wounds temporarily, but until performances match promise in the Soweto Derby, the gap between the rivals will continue to feel wider than ever.