Flavio da Silva gets praises from Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Cedric Kaze

After going four league matches without a victory, Chiefs were desperate for inspiration. Enter Da Silva.

The off-season recruit came off the bench to score the all-important winner on Friday night, reigniting belief within the squad and the stands.

While the technical team had faced questions about his recent absence, Kaze explained that the Portuguese forward had been carefully managed after recovering from an injury.

More importantly, he praised Da Silva's poise and predatory instincts, traits Chiefs have sorely missed in front of goal.

"Flavio is a true penalty-box striker. He reads the game well and is always alert to second balls or rebounds," he said.

"He was unlucky with injury earlier, but we've always believed in what he can offer. Today (Friday), he showed that."

For Kaze, the victory was about more than three points, it was a statement of resilience after a testing few weeks.

"This win means a lot for our confidence," he added.

"We've had some frustrating results recently, so this helps us regain rhythm before our CAF Confederation Cup fixtures."

Da Silva's goal not only ended Chiefs' mini slump but also hinted at a potential turning point, both for the player eager to cement his place and for a team hungry to rediscover its ruthless edge.