Chiefs coach laughs all the way to the bank

Durban - Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral on Wednesday claimed that he had won the mind games against Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart Trott Moloto and delivered a sucker punch that helped his club lift the inaugural MTN8 trophy at a packed Absa Stadium on Tuesday night.

Chiefs edged out the favourites 4-3 on penalties after neither side had managed to score in normal and extra time. The winners thus improved their record against Sundowns in cup finals to seven out of seven.

"I told Trott at the pre-match press conference that I expected him to play a 3-5-2 formation and use Benedict Vilakazi behind the strikers. I could not believe my luck when I saw Vilakazi's name among the substitutes," Ertugral said.

"I was really worried about the threat posed by Vilakazi in midfield. Instead (Moloto) played a 4-4-2 system that suited us. I was delighted with the way it worked out."

He described the game as "the final of missed chances". It also underlined the magnitude of a major illness in South African soccer, the inability of players to score goals when it matters most at club and international level.

Despite his assertion that he had come out on top in the mind games, the Chiefs coach was honest enough to admit that his side were lucky to win the final.

"Sundowns are a quality side. They should have beaten us as they had more clear-cut chances in (the first) 90 minutes. We then had two easy chances late in extra time. But I am not complaining. I am thrilled that we won against such a top-class side," he said.