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JOHANNESBURG. — SuperSport United’s Zimbabwean coach Kaitano Tembo was pleased with his side’s work without the ball in their 2-1 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in South African Absa Premiership football on Saturday evening.

The Amakhosi fell to their second league defeat of the season and their lead cut to four points after Sundowns won later on Saturday evening.

SuperSport have been a bogey team for Chiefs for some time now and repeated the trend with goals from lethal strike duo Bradley Grobler and Thamsanwqa Gabuza on the night.

And Tembo was delighted with his side’s pressing and counter-attacking play.

“To be honest, it wasn’t pretty. But you know we had to do what we had to do and today we had to play more without the ball,” Tembo told SuperSport TV.

“Our pressing was very good and we were very dangerous on the break because we know their defence don’t like to be turned.

“Also, on the sides we took advantage of the sides as well. Their full-backs like going forward so we had to go in there with speed as you can see with the first goal we scored even the second goal from the cross.

“I think we managed the game very well. We didn’t open it up because if you open it up, then you give them especially their big strikers like Castro and Nurkovic the opportunity to play long balls so that they can play off the second ball but we didn’t give them that today,” he said.

Tembo also revealed why he took Sipho Mbule off at half-time.

“Today wasn’t Sipho Mbule’s game because we wanted to play him a little bit high up and play off Bradley,” said the Matsatsantsa mentor.

“But he is not that kind of player that’s why we had to sacrifice him.

“It was a tactical decision. We had to bring in Gabuza. We knew that we will always have Gabuza in the bag pocket that’s why he was on the bench so that he can change the dimension of our attack.”

Meanwhile, Polokwane City snapped their 10-game losing run with a 2-0 victory over Norman Mapeza’s Chippa United in the Absa Premiership on Saturday afternoon.

New signings Thokozani Sekotlong and Thabiso Lebitso started on the bench for Chippa, as City missed Jabulani Maluleke through suspension with Chippa unchanged from the win over SuperSport United.

City, who lost the corresponding fixture last season, needed the win to avoid sinking further into the drop zone with Chippa hoping to get closer to the top eight form tenth spot with a win too.

The Chilli Boys who contained the Rise and Shine for a goalless draw in the reverse fixture earlier this season, looked to pick up another point off the struggling side with the second half underway.

Mapeza’s side however, were given a big blow on 53 minutes after midfielder Boikanyo Komane received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

Rise and Shine eventually hit the front with 61 minutes played when Salulani Phiri finished off a well-worked move from the middle of the park.

Clinton Larsen put on more firepower in his first change of the match six minutes later, with Zimbabwean Charlton Mashumba entering for Mohammed Anas.

Mashumba rewarded Larsen when he fired home his side’s second after a supply from fellow striker Bongile Booi 71 minutes gone.

Former Free State Stars and Mamelodi Sundowns winger Sekotlong came on for his Chippa debut with 12 minutes to go, but City held on to claim their first win since September nonetheless. — Supersport.com