Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker believes Amakhosi could’ve been more ‘ruthless’ against Mamelodi Sundowns, following their 2-1 victory at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Khama Billiat opened the scoring for the Brazilians, before Parker equalised seven minutes later. However, an own goal by Bangaly Soumahoro in the 78th minute ensured Amakhosi all three points.

The 31-year-old believes the Glamour Boys did well to deal with the Sundowns attack, but he insists his side were unlucky to have conceded an early goal.

‘We knew it would be a game of small margins. We had a good plan of keeping it narrow, pushing Sundowns to the side and catch them on the counter,’ Parker told the Kaizer Chiefs website.

‘We had a bit of a nervous start. But we got going the longer the game went on.’

‘We defended well, protecting the half-space pockets. We were unlucky with their goal.’

The Amakhosi striker says he is confident and eager to add to his goal tally after scoring the equalising goal and winning the man of the match award.

‘It’s always an unbelievable feeling to score as a striker. It’s also a great confident booster, wanting more,’ he added.

‘After the hour mark, Sundowns got a bit relaxed, getting arrogant. Our players upfront kept pushing them, challenging their defenders early on. When Gustavo Paéz came on for me, he also pressed and that paid off.”

Parker believes the result could’ve have been better, but insists that there is still room for improvement after his side extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches.

‘We could only have beaten ourselves against Sundowns,” Parker concluded.

‘There is still room for improvement. The result could have been even better. We should be a bit more ruthless and straightforward in our decision-making going forward, also bringing in some composure and calmness. If we succeed in doing this, we will be difficult to beat.’

Kaizer Chiefs will next take on Acornbush United in the Nedbank Cup on Sunday.

The match at the Kabokweni Stadium kicks off at 15:00.