Kaizer Chiefs interim coach Cavin Johnson has explained why he had to take off match-winner Wandile Duba against Golden Arrows.
Chiefs edged Arrows 1-0 in the DStv Premiership encounter thanks to an early goal by Duba, who curled a stunning shot into the top corner.
Amakhosi could not maintain their strong start, as Abafana Bes'thende threatened to come back into the game but Johnson says he was happy with the improvement they have made.
READ | Young Duba seals Chiefs' first win in 2024
"I thought it was a game of two halves, the first one we played well we came out of the blocks better than we've done in our last games but the second-half we gave them a bit of an opportunity," Johnson told SuperSport TV.
"They played a little better than us in some moments, especially in the dying moments but the team held together and I'm happy that we maintained a clean-sheet which is important for the team going into the next game.
"But I'm also happy for young Duba, who came in and scored a beauty of a goal in the first-half and then of course I had to take him off the pitch because his ankle got hurt," he said.
"So those are little things that you give a youngster a moment and he's good, he gets hurt, you take him out and you feel sorry for him but overall I thought we could have played better in the second-half. I thought we could have held the ball better and I thought once we brought on (Nkosingiphile Ngcobo) we had to keep the ball well upfront."
The former SuperSport United head coach continued and complimented their combinations leading up to the goal and looked ahead of the Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates over the weekend.
"The first-half we were able to do that, we were able to move the ball from side to side, hold possession, control the ball better than we have in the past, and not give the opposition too much opportunities to come to us," Johnson went on.
"And then we get the goal and after somewhere along the lines in the second-half we lose a bit of that momentum, we had to maintain that.
"My head, when I got the three points now, my head started to think about Saturday and as always it's a big game. Our supporters are a little bit happy today with us and we gotta go and prepare a lot better for Pirates than we did in our last game against Pirates," he added.
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