TS Galaxy head coach Owen da Gama felt his side did their best to contain Phathutshedzo Nange in their goalless draw against Kaizer Chiefs.
The Rockets and Amakhosi settled for a barren draw in their DStv Premiership opener at home on Sunday evening.
Da Gama was full of praise for his players and the effort they put in during their first competitive game of the season.
“I thought from a tactical perspective we didn’t allow too many crosses which was good,” Galaxy coach said after the game.
“We played Ethan Brooks slightly out of position and he was not as effective as he could have been but he did a job for us.
“I thought once we could match them aerially it became very difficult for them. We are quite happy with our aerial prowess. We think Igor (Makitan) has come in to really do a good job for us there.
“Congratulations to the players. I think they applied themselves well. They played with everything they could and despite this being our first competitive match I think the boys really deserve a pat on the back. They’ve done exceptionally well.
“You saw against (Mamelodi) Sundowns, (Phathutshedzo) Nange was absolutely fantastic when you allow him space. So we’re said we’re not going to allow him space. We’re not going to allow them to attack from the right.
“Let’s force them on the left. When we did slip up they looked dangerous from passes from (Erick) Mathoho but we quickly rectified that and I can only be proud of the tactical team.
“The guys did fantastically well in the planning and the application. The first game is always a bit jittery and you don’t know what to expect. So we’re over that hill now. Now we got to focus on the next game.”
For their next league outing, TS Galaxy will take on Stellenbosch on Wednesday.