[WATCH] Wys jou space: Tinkler warns of City’s wing threat after Chiefs massacre
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OFF THE MARK: CT City stars celebrate after Darwin Gonzalez Mendoza, centre, got the opener v Chiefs
Cape Town City boss Eric Tinkler sent out a warning to his PSL rivals after they thrashed Kaizer Chiefs for their opening win of the season.
His manne ripped Amakhosi apart at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday, exploiting the space in behind the visitors’ wingbacks with the Sowetans’ three centrebacks exposed.
While City romped to a 2-0 win thanks to strikes from Darwin Gonzalez and Nathan Fasika, they could have racked a bigger scoreline.
Gonzalez’s opener came after just five minutes, when City rightback Thami Mkhize ran into the free space in the channel and turned Chiefs’ three-man defence around, before picking out the Venezuelan at the far post to finish off.
Mkhize and fit-again leftback Terrence Mashego bombed down the wings countless times with Gonzalez and Khanyisa Mayo dragging Chiefs’ wingbacks infield, creating 12 goal attempts during the match.
And when Gonzalez won a 62nd-minute freekick, Mayo’s delivery was powered home by centreback Nathan Fasikato to seal a first three-pointer.
City can now go to Athlone Stadium with much-needed confidence for this weekend’s MTN8 quarterfinal against high-flying AmaZulu, who will be wary coming to Mother City.
Tinkler warns: “We knew the spaces would be out wide especially when they decided to go with a back-three so they kind of played into our hands.
“And we exploited those spaces very well in that first period, that's where our most chances came from.”
After two draws and suffering three defeats in their previous five matches, Tinkler believes their hard work has finally paid off.
He adds: “I don’t think it’s been a case for us playing poorly, you know the results just haven’t come. But we stuck to what we believed in.”