The recent match featured Tashreeq Matthews, Mathias Esquivel, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, and Thembinkosi Lorch as the lead tormentors. Although Mduduzi Shabalala’s penalty only served as a consolation, the Brazilians largely dominated their opponents. This defeat marks the 10th season without any significant victories for the rival team who may need to consider rebuilding. In a post-match media session, Johnson was asked if he believed his team had players of the same caliber as Sundowns.
He confidently responded “yes,” emphasizing that such results are not uncommon in the world of football. He acknowledged that despite matching up well material-wise, they were defeated, expressing empathy for his counterpart in a similar position. He stressed the belief that players in his team are capable of matching up to those in other professional clubs, particularly at the level of a club like Kaizer Chiefs. Johnson candidly admitted that although they should have been able to match Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, they were unable to do so in this instance.
He concluded by accepting the outcome and emphasizing the need to move forward.