Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas has backed his decision to field Leonardo Castro in the Soweto derby loss against Orlando Pirates, claiming that he performed well.
Goals by Innocent Maela and Vincent Pule either side of a Khama Billiat strike for the Amakhosi gave Pirates a 2-1 victory against their arch-rivals at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Italian mentor Solinas came under scathing attack from the Chiefs fans for his decision to hand Castro a starting berth, when the Colombian clearly looked short of match fitness.
Despite the former Mamelodi Sundowns star returning to training on Monday following a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury and underperforming in the derby, Solinas said that Castro performed well.
@KaizerChiefs Castro and Khama makes return straight to starting line up #SowetoDerby @orlandopirates pic.twitter.com/WpmgxvVLIY
— 90mins.co.za (@90minssoccer) October 27, 2018
‘Billiat scored‚ no? Castro performed very well,’ he told the media.
‘In my opinion, it was OK. These two players are very important players for Kaizer Chiefs.
‘There’s no question that they are good players. Very‚ very good. These are key players for Kaizer Chiefs,’ he concluded.
Pirates turn their attention to the Telkom Knockout quarter-finals where they will do duty against AmaZulu on Saturday night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, while Chiefs do duty at the same venue the following day against SuperSport United.
Photo: Backpagepix
