The Amakhosi, as they have done this season, dominated the game and created a number of opportunities they could not put away. In the second half in particular, Orlando Pirates were visibly out of breath and could not cope with Abia Nale and Mandla Masango, who were asking lot of questions from both wings.

“We came here (Orlando Stadium) for three points. We knew that they had problems with their centre-backs and we wanted to exploit that. I also knew, based on the Dutch School of Coaching, that they were going to pose a threat on the wings. They have excellent players but we managed to contain them, as my defence was okay. I believe we played well once more but we did not have luck to finish off the game,” said Vermezovic.

“I was satisfied with the level of commitment from my players. This game again showed that the future of Kaizer Chiefs is bright, with young players like Mandla Masango, Abia Nale, and Punch Masenamela all raising their hands. The game was very good for supporters as it was played at a high tempo, but maybe it could have been even better if the score was 3 all,” he added.

The Serbian once more defended the performance of both Siphiwe Tshabalala and Reneilwe Letsholonyane, who have both come under fire from certain sections of the media following their performance on Saturday.

“(Siphiwe) Tshabalala and Yeye (Reneilwe Letsholonyane) remain very important players for Kaizer Chiefs and they are both taking their job very seriously. I am happy with their level of professionalism. Like all the players on the field on Saturday, they wanted to win and sometimes in football you do not get what you want,” he said.

The Glamour Boys will have an opportunity to redeem themselves on Wednesday when they welcome Mpumalanga Black Aces at Loftus Versfeld. Kick-off for the game is at 7:30pm.

Meanwhile an upbeat Public Relations Manager, Thebe Mohatle, has revealed that tickets for the game on Wednesday are already on sale at Shoprite/Checkers and Computicket outlets countrywide.