Durban — Mamelodi Sundowns obliterated Kaizer Chiefs and sent them crashing down to earth with four unanswered goals at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Amakhosi headed into this encounter in high spirits following their impressive win last time out, and were expected to cause the Brazilians a lot of trouble when they met in Pretoria.
Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane set up his side in a familiar 4-3-3 formation with the intention of imposing themselves on the home side. However, Sundowns' quality shone through and overpowered them, with Zwane – once nicknamed "10111" – admitting his players weren't mentally prepared for this encounter.
"We were nowhere near our level in terms of performing today. I thought my boys were flat; we didn't come to the party and we were just not ourselves," he said after the match.
"We lost it when we conceded the first goal, we were not ourselves. We played the entire first half without a shot on target and if you look at the performance you can tell it wasn't to be."
Amakhosi were handed a tough lesson by the dominant defending champions, and were exposed to a level of quality and consistency they should aim for if they want their rebuilding process to reap rewards.
Unhappy supporters of the Soweto giants were seen exiting the venue prior to the conclusion of the match, but Zwane was not shaken by this, alluding to the importance of patience as he and his charges seek solutions to reclaim the glory of yesteryears.
"We all know it's a work in progress and I have no doubt that we will get it right. We want to get back to dominating like we did in the past," he said
"Right now we're still trying to find the combinations and we will definitely get it right, but for now we're grateful for the support. I know exactly how the fans feel right now, but one day they will smile."
Chiefs will have an opportunity to bounce back next weekend when they host Richards Bay at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
IOL Sport