Kaizer Chiefs’ Under-17s lost their second game of the Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament, which is currently being hosted at Pimville’s Nike Centre. After being beaten1-0 by Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro on Monday, Mexico’s Club Tijuana yesterday won 2-0 against Amakhosi.

Chiefs were dominating ball possession, but two defensive errors were pounded on by the Mexicans.

Still, there were some positives to mention as well, including the fine performances of midfielder Sabelo ‘Bibo’ Radebe and left-back Nkosinathi Hlongwane.

Another who did well after coming on as a substitute was Yaseen Bunting, the younger brother of Chiefs’ Reserves winger Yusuf Bunting.

“It’s a great opportunity to play against top international sides like Tijuana,” Bunting reflects. “Their players are physically stronger than ours. It means that we need to play quicker. We are learning a lot by being involved in this international tournament.”

Radebe, who is very confident on the ball, notes: “Teams like Tijuana or Atlético have realised that we lack a bit of height compared to them. That’s why they played long balls forward, putting us immediately under pressure defensively.”

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder feels that there are lessons to be learnt. One of them is that “to be able to compete, we must play to our advantage, which is using our speed and quick movement off-the-ball.”

Then, Radebe adds: “We need to score. You don’t win if you can’t find the back of the net. We haven’t scored as yet in this tournament and to be able to beat Orlando Pirates on Wednesday we must be able to finish.”

Chiefs’ Under-17s face the Buccaneers at the Nike Centre on Wednesday, 16 March (kick-off is at 16:00, Field 1).

It’s a must-win for Amakhosi, who haven’t collected a single point from their two previous outings. Pirates top Group A with six points, while Atlético Mineiro are on three points.