Kaizer Chiefs' defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns, which ended in an embarrassing 5-1 loss, has not only highlighted the visitors' dominance in clinching the DStv Premiership title for the seventh consecutive time but also raised concerns over the officiating from Amakhosi's perspective.
Chiefs interim coach Cavin Johnson, addressing the media during a post-match press conference, expressed his dissatisfaction with the manner in which the opening goal was conceded, suggesting it was a pivotal moment that adversely affected the Soweto giants.
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Johnson pinpointed the specific incident leading up to Sundowns' first goal, where he believes a foul was committed on one of his players. Despite his proximity to the incident, the referee's decision went against Chiefs, allowing Lucas Ribeiro Costa to set up Tashreeq Matthews for the goal.
"In saying that, their first goal is actually a foul for us if you look at it. There's a foul on the right-hand side exactly by me and the referee points the other way and from that moment they go the other way and score," Johnson told members of the media in the post-match conference.
The Chiefs coach described this moment as a significant turning point in the match, suggesting it was the "Achilles heel" that demoralised his team. The decision had not only impacted the morale of the Chiefs players but also initiated a chain reaction that saw Sundowns capitalise on the defensive lapses of the Soweto giants, further widening the gap between the two teams.
"And that really breaks your players in sometimes because that is like the Achilles heel that takes out of us because we are 10-men, (with one) down, and the actual foul belongs to Kaizer Chiefs and after that it's just a snow-ball effect.
"But in saying that, I thought we had to defend better in the second half which we didn't do. But my main bone of contention is the first goal they score against us is not necessary from what I expect to get. But we are not going to complain about all those things, they win the game, we lose the game," he added.
With no league fixtures scheduled for the upcoming weekend due to the Nedbank Cup, Chiefs will have some time to regroup before their next Premiership clash, against TS Galaxy.
This break presents an opportunity for the team to address the defensive issues highlighted by Johnson and to mentally recover from the setback against Sundowns.
As they prepare for Galaxy, the focus will be on overcoming the disappointment and ensuring a stronger defensive performance.
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