Kaizer Chiefs coach Khalil Ben Youssef has aired his views on how the synthetic grass at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi played a part in their 0-0 draw with AS Simba on Saturday afternoon.
The Soweto giants could not be separated from their Congolese opponents in a CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round, first leg match. A scoring draw in the second leg at Dobsonville Stadium next Saturday could make AS Simba fancy their chances of upsetting Chiefs and power themselves into the group stages.
It was a difficult afternoon, which saw Khanyisa Mayo rattle the upright post in the first half. Substitute and an unmarked Ashley du Preez strangely shot over the bar, facing a yawning goal while Mfundo Vilakazi’s powerful free-kick was denied only by a spectacular fingertip save.
AS Simba have little experience in continental football but they made Amakhosi struggle all afternoon. Accustomed to natural turf, Chiefs played on an unfamiliar surface, and Ben Youssef feels their flow of play was undone by the pitch conditions at TP Mazembe Stadium.
BEN YOUSSEF ON HOW THE PITCH WAS DIFFICULT FOR CHIEFS
“You see the situation of the game, the pitch and the competitor. We prepare our players beforehand about the situation, and they know it will be a tough game,” Ben Youssef said.
“Really, in this kind of pitch, you can’t play. We were only playing long balls like them because it’s difficult to manage with this kind of pitch. I think the plan of the game was how we could manage the first 45 minutes.
“First, we don’t concede, then we know that the opponent will take a lot of risk. They will try to press higher, and they will leave us a lot of space, then we will introduce our [Mduduzi] Shabalala, Ashley [Du Preez], and [Wandile] Duba to give us the speed and the solution in the deep.
“The pitch we prepared from the beginning. We knew the pitch, the temperature and the situation. For that, we were ready for everything.”
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