Kaizer Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas believes his side could have beaten Mamelodi Sundowns if it wasn’t for some wasteful finishing.

The Glamour Boys drew 1-1 with the Brazilians in their opening Absa Premiership encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.

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Both teams came into the game with high expectations and hopes of opening the season by picking up all three points against a title rival. However, neither side was able to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and dominate.

Ramahlwe Mphahlele’s opening goal for Chiefs was cancelled out by a Ricardo Nascimento penalty as the teams went into the break even.

Both teams created chances in the second half, but neither could find another goal and ultimately, it looked as though both sides were happy with a single point in the end.

The new Amakhosi coach, however, believes his team could have won if they were more clinical in their finishing, but revealed his pride that his team could go toe-to-toe with the defending champions.

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Speaking to the club’s official website, Solinas said, ‘I am proud of my team. We played well and we could have won the match if we would have buried our chances.

‘It tells a story to start the season and to be able to compete with the reigning champs, who had already played several highly competitive games in the African Champions League.

‘We created several opportunities to win, coming close a number of times,’ he concluded.

Chiefs will next be in action when they host Bidvest Wits at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday evening. Kick-off is set for 7:30pm.

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Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix