Coach Nasreddine Nabi insists that Kaizer Chiefs were fortunate during their Nedbank Cup semi-final win over Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday night.
Chiefs beat Sundowns 2–1, as Wandile Duba and Ashley Du Preez scored to cancel out Teboho Mokoena’s free-kick on the stroke of half-time. The Amakhosi’s victory was significant for the club, as they could potentially end their 10-year trophy drought and qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup next season.
Nasreddine Nabi has now reached a domestic cup final for a fifth consecutive season.
He previously led teams to three Tanzanian Cup finals, the Moroccan Throne Cup final, and now the Nedbank Cup final in South Africa.#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/Q3gvUoilgM
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) April 13, 2025
Nabi also expressed relief at the result, as it could potentially secure his position, having been under pressure in recent weeks due to the team’s inconsistency in the Betway Premiership.
Beating Sundowns is no easy feat, as the latter had dominated Amakhosi in recent encounters — including three victories earlier this season. Speaking during his post-match press conference deep in the bowels of Loftus, Nabi congratulated everyone involved in the win.
However, he also noted that Lady Luck finally smiled on Chiefs, as he believes they had been unfortunate to lose in previous meetings with Sundowns this season.
“You have to consider the number of years it took Sundowns to build their team. That’s why we are still in the process,” Nabi explained.
“We are taking things step by step in building our squad. When we play Sundowns — one of the biggest teams — it’s always tough. But in the last match, they were luckier than us.
“We had opportunities but didn’t convert. Yet, they always manage to score. We always remind the players that we’re often close to winning the game, but there are problems — mistakes or just bad luck.”
Nabi will be hoping their good fortune continues into the final, where they will face arch-rivals Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 10 May.
