Chiefs Star Shabalala Receives Key Embrace After Penalty Misery

Chiefs Star Shabalala Receives Key Embrace After Penalty Misery As Da Cruz Sends Strong Message

Mduduzi Shabalala may have endured a frustrating moment from the penalty spot, but Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz was quick to remind his young midfielder that one mistake does not define a player.

Shabalala was one of the central figures in Chiefs’ dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Siwelele FC in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.

The 22-year-old had an opportunity to bring Amakhosi level in the 36th minute after Mfundo Vilakazi was brought down inside the penalty area. Shabalala stepped forward to take responsibility, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar.

It was a difficult moment for the midfielder, who was visibly disappointed with the missed opportunity.

However, there was no time for Shabalala to dwell on the setback.

Chiefs were awarded another penalty deep into first-half stoppage time after Shabalala was brought down inside the box. This time, Wandile Duba took responsibility and converted to send the teams into the interval level at 1-1.

Da Cruz revealed that he subsequently spoke to Shabalala about the importance of maintaining his confidence.

“I said [to Mdu] missing a penalty can happen to all the players,” Da Cruz explained.

“It has happened before to the best players in football in the best competitions.”

The Chiefs coach acknowledged that Shabalala was naturally disappointed, but insisted that the midfielder must continue working because he remains an important player for the team.

“So, it’s normal that he’s disappointed but he missed a header, he must continue to work because for us, he’s a very important player and we need him,” Da Cruz said.

The response from Shabalala was also important.

Rather than allowing the missed penalty to take him out of the game, he remained involved and won the second spot-kick that allowed Chiefs to recover before half-time.

Amakhosi then took control of the second half as they searched for a winner.

Da Cruz made a decisive change in the 75th minute, introducing Asanele Velebayi and Flavio Da Silva. Nine minutes later, the substitutes combined to produce the moment that sent Chiefs into the semi-finals.

A poor pass across the Siwelele defence was collected by Da Silva, who quickly supplied Velebayi. The winger then calmly finished to give Chiefs a 2-1 lead in the 84th minute.

The victory secured Chiefs’ place in the last four of the Carling Knockout, where they will face Mamelodi Sundowns.

For Shabalala, the quarter-final therefore ended very differently from how it appeared it might after his penalty miss.

His ability to remain involved, win another penalty and continue contributing demonstrated the mentality Da Cruz wants from his players.

The coach has also made it clear that Chiefs have several designated penalty takers, meaning responsibility can change depending on the circumstances of a match.

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