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Danny Phiri

Ricky Zililo, recently in Pretoria, South Africa
MAMELODI Sundowns’ psychological war on Chicken Inn worked when the Gamecocks’ players took long to settle on a slippery Lucas Moripe Stadium pitch in Pretoria on Saturday night. Sundowns, who went into the weekend’s second leg tie of the Caf Champions League preliminary round needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit, watered the pitch soon after both teams had done their warm-ups, something that caught Chicken Inn unaware.

Chicken Inn’s wide players, right-back Passmore Bernard and left-back Devine Lunga as well as wingers Edmore Chirambadare and Physwell Madhazi slipped a lot in the early stages of the game due to the wet surface.

Lunga and Chirambadare ended up changing their boots to those compatible with a slippery surface. Sundowns’ players easily adapted to the conditions, with wingers Keegan Dolly and Khama Billiat enjoying on the flanks. Even the ball speed was faster on the watered pitch, which worked in favour of the hosts.

“We took a little bit long to adjust because it was slippery. However, I must commend my teammates for their mental strength because even on a slippery surface, we managed to give Sundowns a scare. We were prepared for whatever they were going to throw at us and that’s why even on a slippery pitch we never lost focus and shape. The guys stuck to our game plan which was to contain them in the first 20 minutes, which we did and it was unfortunate to concede in the first half,” said Chicken Inn captain Danny Phiri.

Even when they were a goal down, Chicken Inn never gave up as they played an open game and even silenced the home supporters with some flawless football at some stages in the second half.

“At halftime the coach told us to go for it because we had nothing to lose. He wanted us to enjoy the game even though we were taking a cautious approach. The only thing we failed to do was to take our chances and eventually we were made to pay in a harsh way,” said Phiri.

Chicken Inn were also not affected by playing under floodlights. Meanwhile, Zimbabweans living in South Africa rallied behind Chicken Inn. Most of the fans were Highlanders and Dynamos supporters based in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Chicken Inn also provided transport to 50 supporters from Bulawayo. “We had a wonderful backing from Zimbabweans based in SA and we want to commend them for boosting the players’ morale. Their support really deserved a win and even though we lost, we salute the fans,” said Lifa Ncube, Chicken Inn’s chairman.