Kaizerchiefs.com caught up with the quarter-final’s winning goal hero Mandla Masango AKA “Bullet”, who played like a man possessed in order to find out what inspired his performance on Sunday.

Kaizerchiefs.com: First of all congratulations “Bullet” on your ‘man of the match’ performance against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday. Secondly tell us about your performance, which saw the team through to the semi-finals:

Mandla Masango: “I was very happy for being named man of the match and would like to thank my teammates, who contributed a great deal to my performance on the day. But I don’t want to take Sunday’s performance to my head, as there is a lot of work that I still have to do because I always want to improve my game.”

The soft spoken, skillful midfielder added that the match against Sundowns is now in the past and that he and the rest of his teammates are now focused on the upcoming game.”

Kaizerchiefs.com: You seemed very free and seem to have been more inspired on Sunday: tell us about that!

Mandla Masango: “I would like to thank the technical team for believing in the youngsters in the team. As you might have seen on Sunday a lot of youngsters were given a chance to prove themselves.”

Kaizerchiefs.com: Were you happy with the score line?

Mandla Masango: “I think the team performed very well on the day, but I wasn’t entirely happy with the score line, since I feel it’s not a true reflection of the match. I also feel we created enough chances to win the match by a bigger margin than the 1-0 win. Sometimes luck is not on your side and that’s what I feel happened on the day.”

Kaizerchiefs.com: What did the coach say to you before the game, since you were seen receiving a lot of instructions before the match?

Mandla Masango: “Before the match, the coach called George Lebese, Abia Nale, Mthokozisi Yende, Knowledge Musona and I aside and told us that this was the time for us youngsters to shine. He also encouraged us to play the way we do in training.”

Kaizerchiefs.com: What do you say about people who say Kaizer Chiefs won over a weak Sundowns side, since eight (8) of their players are with Bafana Bafana in the camp in Brazil?

Mandla Masango: “Sundowns is not an eight man team, all the players they have signed are quality professional players that are getting paid a lot of money which means any Sundowns team is not an easy side. Kaizer Chiefs also have key players in the Bafana Camp in Brazil.”

Kaizerchiefs.com: What would be a good present to Kaizer Chiefs in celebrating the team’s 40th Anniversary?

Mandla Masango: “The greatest present we as players can give to a brand like Kaizer Chiefs, is to win the two remaining trophies (Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup) not just for the team but for the millions and millions of supporters who have been behind the team since the beginning until now.”

“It’s an honour to be part of a team of Kaizer Chiefs’ calibre, and of which I see as the biggest team not only in South Africa, but the rest of the African continent. All of the players in the Kaizer Chiefs squad are very proud to be part of this rich history and we will cherish that for the rest our lives.”

He also added that by winning the remaining cups he and his teammates will feel they have contributed something to the Kaizer Chiefs history of winning.

Amakhosi for Life!