Scottland FC coach Norman Mapeza praises 'organised' Kaizer Chiefs after Toyota Cup defeat - 'It was a good game of football'

Kaizer Chiefs emerged victorious in their pre-season Toyota Cup clash, securing a 1-0 win over Scottland FC at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

The decisive moment came in the first half when Mfundo Vilakazi fired Chiefs to glory with a well-taken strike that the Zimbabwean visitors were unable to answer.

Despite the loss, Mapeza viewed the high-profile friendly as a vital exercise for his squad as they prepare for major challenges ahead.

Reflecting on the performance immediately after the final whistle, Mapeza shared his thoughts with SABC Sport, focused on the quality of the spectacle.

"Look, it was a good game of football, I think the people that came here enjoyed the game.

"Coming to our team, I think it’s a good preparation towards resuming our cup and league games.”

The Zimbabwean champions utilised the friendly to its fullest extent, with the coaching staff opting to field two completely different line-ups for each half of the match.

This tactical decision was made to assess the fitness and readiness of the entire travelling party.

"Yes, look we brought in two teams because that’s what we had on the memo so I felt to use both teams because some of these guys weren’t getting enough game time at home so I wanted to see whether we got enough depth but what I saw today I’m more than pleased," Mapeza added.

While Scottland FC managed to create several promising openings, they found the Chiefs' backline difficult to breach, particularly in aerial situations.

Mapeza noted that the physical profile of the Amakhosi defenders forced his side to alter their usual attacking philosophy.

The height advantage held by the South African outfit meant that traditional crossing methods were largely ineffective, forcing the visitors to look for alternative ways to break through in the final third.

He continued: “We had some good half-chances, on a better day maybe we could’ve buried those but look Chiefs looked very organised at the back.

"They had a lot of height so there was no need for us to bring in crosses because they have guys with height at the back.”

The lessons learned in Phokeng will be taken back to Zimbabwe, where Scottland FC remain active in their league and cup competitions.

Mapeza is convinced that coming up against a club of Chiefs' stature will serve his players well as they look to defend their domestic titles.

With their domestic campaign still on the go, the Scottland FC technical team will now focus on restoring the players' energy levels before their next competitive fixture.

Mapeza believes that the tactical challenge presented by Chiefs' disciplined shape will improve his players' decision-making and innovation.

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