Kaizer Chiefs’ Willard Katsande on Why the Underdog Tag Suits Them in CAF Journey
- Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande explains why they enjoy being labelled as underdogs in the African continent
- This comes after Chiefs secured the CAF Champions League final spot and Katsande has reflected on their tough journey
- The veteran midfielder will be key as they will face Al Ahly in the final and he believes they have nothing to lose
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Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande says they are enjoying the underdog tag put on their heads heading to the CAF Champions League final. The veteran midfielder has reflected on their continental run so far.
The Zimbabwean international was speaking after reaching the final, they beat Wydad Casablanca 1-0 on aggregate to set up a final against Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly.
Katsande is of the view that nobody gave the Soweto giants a chance and he is pleased they have defied the odds despite going through a rough patch in their domestic campaign.
Source: Instagram
Willard Katsande looks at Kaizer Chiefs CAF Champions League run
The 35-year-old says their narrow win in Morocco was the running point for their ambitions to reach the final. He told the Chiefs website:
“The funny and interesting thing about this CAF campaign is that we carried the underdog tag from day one until now, people never gave us a chance. We started our CAF campaign in the middle of a rough patch, when we were not doing well in the league. We won narrowly away and managed to keep a clean sheet at home to get a result and sneak through.
“We felt the pain of our supporters, coming home after losing 4-0. And even playing in the domestic league we were not doing well. We really gave the wrong impression to our supporters. But we kept going until the results came and we managed to progress to the quarter-final.”
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Willard Katsande speaks about the final between Kaizer Chiefs and Al Ahly
As he is one of the most experienced players at Chiefs, ‘King Salt’ will be key for the team as they look to bag their first CAF title. He added:
“This season we turned the corner in terms of CAF competition. Every game is tough in the Champions League, it requires you to bring your A game to get what you want. Going to the final for the first time, becoming only the fourth team to do so without conceding a goal at home, is a good state for us to be in. It will put us in a good position. We’re still humble, level-headed we know we haven’t won anything yet, but we really want it. We are just going to work hard and get back on the horse to get the victory in the final.”
At the same time, Phakaaathi reported that Amakhosi banked on their experience and Katsande said they kept on learning as well. Katsande is quoted:
“But have a lot of internationals in our team and we used that experience to our advantage. We kept on learning as the campaign went on. It was our turning point in terms of the competition.”
Al Ahly boss Pitso Mosimane praises Kaizer Chiefs
In other sports stories on Chiefs, Briefly News reported that Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has shared his views as the team prepares to face Kaizer Chiefs in the final of the CAF Champions League next month.
The Red Devils demolished ES Tunis via a 4-0 aggregate scoreline in the semi-finals and will now face Amakhosi, an enemy he is familiar with.
However, the former Mamelodi Sundowns manager says the Soweto giants are a big side compared to Sundowns.
Chiefs defeated Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the previous stage and have set an anticipated thrilling encounter to be staged on 17 July.
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Source: Briefly News
