CHIPPA HOPE TO FOLLOW UP CUP WIN
Round 2 against Polokwane City tomorrow
GOALS from Buyani Sali and Andile Mbenyane saw Chippa United progress to the next stage of the Nedbank Cup competition when they beat Polokwane City 2-0 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium at the weekend.
This was another first for the Port Elizabeth-based side as they have never reached the last-eight level in the tournament before in five attempts.
The Chilli Boys were only able to find the back of the net in the second half.
The win also saw Chippa bounce back from their 4-1 Premier Soccer League defeat against Cape Town City ahead of their game with the Rise and Shine.
Chippa coach Dan Malesela said he was pleased his players were able to score two goals.
“I think we fought very hard today to actually redeem ourselves,” he said.
“There are still problems, particularly at the back because we had this defence that we have never had before.
“But the good thing is that at some stages we looked like ourselves when we played.
“I think there was a lot of tension within the players because of what happened the previous week.
“I am pleased that to save the situation we scored first because had it been the other way around then it would have probably been a problem.”
Asked if Chippa could go all way and win the trophy, Malesela said he did not want to get too far ahead of himself.
“I am hopeful that we will go to the next round.
“It’s a good thing we were able to progress to the next level of the competition. It’s another first for us and, hopefully, we will get more.
“But I do not want to jump things. The main focus now is the game on Tuesday because that is the big one.”
Despite their good run in the Nedbank, the Chilli Boys have been struggling to win in the league. They have been without a victory in six matches.
Chippa will be hoping to get the same result tomorrow when they play Polokwane City again in a league fixture at the Bay Stadium (7.30pm).
I think we fought very hard today to redeem ourselves