Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp praised his side’s character after picking up a victory against AmaZulu, despite having little time to prepare because of their Caf Confederations Cup commitments.

The Amakhosi beat Usuthu 3-2 at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday night, thanks to goals from Bernard Parker, Willard Katsande and a Marc van Heerden own goal.

Middendorp’s side controlled large parts of the encounter, but allowed AmaZulu back into the game on two occasions.

Speaking to SuperSport TV after the match, the German tactician lamented his side’s aimlessness in front of goal, but also praised their character in what was an important victory in their pursuit to climb the league table.

‘Make it 4-1 or 5-1, we had the possibility not to make it so dramatic in the end. It’s a huge compliment [the way we played]. In one week, a huge competitive game with high concentration against Bidvest [Wits], then travelling to Zambia against a team with a lot of potential.

‘We showed a decent performance, unfortunately not brought anything out of it, and today against AmaZulu very competitive. It’s a competitive league, you have to be at your best to get the points.

‘This is something in one week that shows the character of the players individually and the team in total. This is why I’m talking, hopefully with the support [of fans] and they come in numbers on Saturday evening. I’m quite confident that with this behaviour, with this character, we can make it on Saturday. That’s our focus now.’