Ben Youssef: Kaizer Chiefs prioritising results after grinding past Durban City

Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef says his side’s narrow 1-0 victory over Durban City was a show of character and mental resilience, coming just days after their Confederation Cup win last weekend.

A late header from Portuguese born Fabio Silva secured all three points for Amakhosi at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday night, ending a four-match winless streak in the Betway Premiership and lifting them to third on the log.

Ben Youssef admitted the clash was always going to be tricky after their emotional continental success, with fatigue and focus both key factors.

“We expected that this game could be tough for us,” he said. “We expected that it would be difficult to keep the same performance after the cup game and qualifying for the group stage.”

The Tunisian tactician, who shares coaching duties with Cedric Kaze, said this drop in intensity is not unique to Chiefs, referencing similar struggles by other clubs after big cup wins.

“We know the mentality here in South Africa — it’s difficult to keep the same mentality, and we see it with other teams as well,” he explained. “We saw it with Stellenbosch on Wednesday; they were beaten 4-0.”

Chiefs dominated possession for long periods but lacked incision in the final third, with Durban City’s compact defensive shape denying them clear chances. 

However, their persistence was rewarded when Silva rose highest to power home an 88th-minute header — his second goal in as many games, both coming off the bench.

“For us, the focus is always on winning the game — the performance will come afterwards,” Ben Youssef said. 

“If you remember last season, we played a lot of good performances but without results. Now we think only about results, and if the performance comes with it, we are happy, but the results come first.”

The former Al-Ahly assistant expressed delight at Silva’s contribution, especially given his recent return from injury.

“I think the most important thing for a striker is for them to score goals, and I’m happy for Silva having come on to score for the second game,” he said. 

“He’s been struggling with injuries, but I’m glad he’s back and scoring.”

Ben Youssef also highlighted the competition for places among his forwards as a driving force behind Chiefs’ growing depth.

“We need our strikers to score,” he added.

“We have Silva, (Wandile) Duba, Ashley (Du Preez), (Tashreeq) Morris and Ighodaro, and they all fight for one position.”

Chiefs will now shift their attention to Orbit College in their next Betway Premiership clash on Tuesday, while Durban City host Marumo Gallants in Chatsworth the following day.