Johannesburg - Under-fire Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela has explained why he substituted defender Eric Mathoho with Daniel Cardoso in their 1-1 draw against SuperSport United at FNB Stadium on Wednesday.
Towards the closing stages of their gruelling clash with Matsatsantsa, the 'Tower' showed signs of discomfort as he was battling with a groin injury.
Komphela admitted that he had to make a tactical decision despite Amakhosi supporters not approving.
"It was also stressful for us to take him (Mathoho) out, but with five minutes left he signalled that he was struggling with a groin," said Komphela.
"We thought he would finish the game, but you could see that he was dragging his leg.
"After he challenged for the ball and ended up heading it back to Itumeleng Khune we realised that he won’t be able to carry on for another seven minutes, including time added on."
Komphela also felt intimidated by the threat posed by SuperSport striker Dove Wome.
"I asked myself that 'what if the ball drops behind him and Dove Wome capitalises from that'? So we had to make that decision and one thing that made sense was to bring Cardoso in," continued Komphela.
"So the 'Tower' had to be substituted before his groin gets worse."