Nasreddine Nabi comes to Samkelo Zwane defence

Zwane lost the ball close to his own box, allowing Sundowns attacker Lucas Ribeiro Costa to race towards goal before being fouled by Njabulo Blom, leading to a penalty in the 14th minute. 

The 22-year-old’s mistake revived the debate around Chiefs’ overreliance on their academy graduates, but Nabi defended that senior players also need to show responsibility on the pitch.

"Some of the youngsters didn't show what they wanted, and you speak about Zwane, but we believe it's a learning curve for those youngsters, especially in terms of what we need to do in these kinds of games," said Nabi.

"But the experienced players need to take responsibility, that's where we believe today there was something that didn't happen, because all the young players are looking up to those who are more experienced, and have played these kinds of games many times."

The Tunisian mentor did not mince his words when addressing the performance of the experienced players, noting that they need not only to carry their younger teammates but also fight for the Chiefs badge.

"The [young players] need to understand how big the history of this club is, and nobody – even as talented as they might be – will be above this crowd," he added.

"That's what they need to understand and take responsibility in difficult moments like this because Zwane is a young player, and he still has many years ahead of him, so he's going to improve.

"And Zwane wasn't the worst player on the field, there were others more experienced than him, and that's why we need to encourage our players – and the experienced players need to take responsibility."

READ: Nabi apologises to Chiefs fans after Sundowns drubbing