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'The Chiefs players combined very well with each other,' said NEC Nijmegen coach Koen Hermsen.
Nkosingiphile Ngcobo says Chiefs are learning from their experience in the Netherlands. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Kaizer Chiefs earned praise from the head coach of Dutch opponents NEC Nijmegen on Saturday, despite losing 1-0 in a friendly in Overasselt.
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“The match was very well-balanced,” said Nijmegen coach Koen Hermsen, according to the official Chiefs website.
‘I really thought Chiefs would equalise’
“The Chiefs players combined very well with each other, passing the ball around excellently. That was a joy to watch.
“To be honest, when Chiefs started to put pressure on us during the last 15 minutes of the game, I was worried. I really thought Chiefs would equalise.”
Chiefs midfielder Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, meanwhile, says Amakhosi are learning from their experience in the Netherlands, despite losing all three of their friendly matches up to now.
“The more games we play against these type of quality opponents, the more we learn,” Ngcobo analysed. “With every game we improve as a team and you saw that today.
“NEC Nijmegen was technically and tactically better than us, but not that much better. We could cope.”
Chiefs’ young star Mfundo Vilakazi was also happy with the way the team played on Saturday.
“It was a tough game,” said Vilakazi.
“But we are feeling good about our performance today. We managed to play well.”
“We are getting better with each game … will definitely win one of our last matches.”
Chiefs’ next game in their pre-season camp in the Netherlands is against PEC Zwolle on Tuesday at the Sportpark Ezinge.
In Saturday’s game, the starting XI was made up entirely from players from last season. Central defender Inacio Miguel captained the side, while Gaston Sirino played in attack, alongside Pule Mmodi and Tashreeq Morris.
New signings come on
On the hour mark, new signing Nkanyiso Shinga was part of a spate of substitutions, while another new recruit, Ethan Chislett, came on later in the game.
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Chiefs will play FC Twente in their final training match on Wednesday, before returning to South Africa on July 19.
Amakhosi will then face Asante Kotoko of Ghana on July 26 in the Toyota Cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
