The Lions of the North manager has credited his men for their hard fought win over Amakhosi
Highlands Park coach Owen Da Gama has credited his team for their gallant fight against Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup, saying Makhulong Stadium is their fortress.
The Lions of the North defeated Amakhosi 5-4 on penalties after extra time on Saturday afternoon to reach the Last 16 round. The former Bafana Bafana boss also credited the Soweto giants.
‘ODG’ also reflected on their success to defend set-pieces against coach Ernst Middendorp’s men who are always seen as a threat when using the likes of Leonardo Castro and Samir Nurkovic.
“You must give credit to Chiefs; they played very well, they have top quality players and they wanted it as much,” Da Gama told the media after the match.
“Unfortunately, it’s not easy at Makhulong, everybody knows that.”
Speaking about the actual match, the experienced manager explained how they avoided conceding from set-pieces, adding Amakhosi are very smart in their tactics.
“There was a lot of concern because we said, ‘Don’t give those set-pieces away, don’t give set-pieces away in the final third’. Chiefs are really dangerous with those types of set-pieces,” Da Gama told SuperSport TV.
“But in saying that, I must give credit to Chiefs, they play very cleverly. They know how to get those free-kicks, that’s something we gotta learn as well. So the referee was unbelievable, the linesman, there’s nothing that you can take away from what happened in today’s game.
“I just thought it was just a fantastic marvel of football to watch and we’re happy for the fans, we’re happy for the Chiefs fans. It kept everybody on their toes, from the start to finish, everybody was on their toes and I think it was a great advert for football. But from my side, I was happy with the character the boys showed.”
Meanwhile, the Soweto giants will turn their focus to the eagerly awaited encounter against rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday as they look to stretch their lead in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) summit.
On the part of the Tembisa-based club, they will look to reach their second cup final this season after missing out on the MTN8, losing to SuperSpot United at the beginning of the campaign.
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