Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Caf Champions League: They don't call me Kokota Piano for nothing - Kaizer Chiefs' Nurkovic warns Simba SC

goal.com, 20 May 2021, 15:31
The 28-year-old hitman is looking to please the Amakhosi fans with another inspiring performance against the Reds of Msimbazi

Kaizer Chiefs striker Samir Nurkovic is determined to help his team reach this season's Caf Champions League semi-finals on Saturday.

The Glamour Boys will be away to Simba SC in the quarter-final second-leg game at Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam with Chiefs having secured a 4-0 win in the first-leg clash last weekend.

Nicknamed Kokota (knocking) Piano, Nurkovic was in top form in the first-leg encounter as he grabbed a brace and an assist and he has stated that scoring twice at FNB Stadium was an amazing feeling.

"Amazing feeling from the game still, excited and looking forward to the second-leg and we are preparing and doing everything to go into semi-finals," Nurkovic told Chiefs' media department.

"Yeah, amazing feeling. And I mean, the Amakhosi family already knows, they don't just call me, Kokota Piano [for nothing], right? So I'm there, and I'm trying my best always to make them happy.

Chiefs will reportedly get a hostile reception in Tanzania and Nurkovic urged his teammates to be focused as the Soweto giants look to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in the club's history.

"We can't really think about those things. All we have to do is to stay focus and to be 100% focused on our game, on how we gonna play and how we going perform on Saturday," he continued.

"I mean, there's not so much time to do a lot of things, we just have to stay focused and with the same fighting spirit from the last game, continue with the same performance, everything and everything will be fine.

"I mean, me as an individual, I'm always working hard and I want to achieve the best possible results. And yeah, so far, so good for us and I'm really happy for myself, from the team, because everybody really working hard and giving their best to achieve our goals."

The Serbian marksman is looking forward to playing in Tanzania having travelLed to Angola and Burkina Faso during Amakhosi's current Champions League campaign.

"Yeah, really nice experience for me always when we travel to all these countries in Africa for me especially, really good and a nice experience. And I'm looking forward as well to see Tanzania and all what is there," he concluded.

The winner on aggregate between Simba and Chiefs will take on either Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca or Algerian side MC Alger in the two-legged semi-final tie.

Top News

12 January 2025 talksport.com Manchester City are closing in on an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for forward Omar Marmoush, talkSPORT understands. 12 January 2025 talksport.com Dutch hero Patrick Kluivert has announced the big plans he has in store after returning to the dugout on the international stage. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has both the best and worst kind of attacking dilemma to solve for Tuesday's Premier League showdown with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is expected to revert to his regular 'A' team for Tuesday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by just three points in the upper echelons of the Premier League table, Chelsea and Bournemouth endeavour to build on emphatic FA Cup victories in Tuesday's top-flight battle at Stamford Bridge. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Six-time Spanish champions Valencia will be bidding to avoid an upset against third-tier outfit Ourense CF when they take to the field in the last-16 stage of the 2024-25 Copa del Rey on Tuesday night. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to stay within close range of the Serie A summit, Atalanta BC will host a misfiring Juventus side on Tuesday evening. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker is not expected to be involved when the Premier League champions travel to Brentford for Tuesday's top-flight contest. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford left-back Rico Henry is in line for his first Premier League appearance since September 2023 when the Bees host Manchester City at the Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Newcastle United's Alexander Isak, viewing the Sweden international as the ideal long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Kicking off a three-game road trip in the English capital, a revitalised Manchester City seek a fourth win on the spin in Tuesday's Premier League clash with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani, with Aston Villa potentially emerging as the favourites for the France international. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic could reportedly be offered a route back to the Premier League by newly-promoted Ipswich Town. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Borussia Dortmund are reportedly making 'a concerted effort' to acquire Marcus Rashford, while Napoli are said to have emerged as genuine contenders to sign the Manchester United attacker before the end of the January transfer window. 12 January 2025 talksport.com There was no room for Gianfranco Zola, Frank Lampard or John Terry in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's ultimate five-a-side team of former teammates. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Playing catch-up in the race for a top-four finish, AC Milan will seek their first Serie A win of the year when they make the short trip to Como on Tuesday. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh from snapping a four-game winless sequence, Chelsea endeavour to get back on track in the Premier League when they square up to Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk An extremely stern examination of Liverpool's Premier League title credentials awaits on Tuesday night, when the Reds visit high-flying Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk On the hunt for a fourth successive victory across all competitions, a rejuvenated Manchester City head down south to tackle Brentford in Tuesday's Premier League affair. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk For the first time in over 45 years, Monaco will visit Stade Auguste-Delaune for a Coupe de France fixture against Reims with a spot in the round of 16 at stake on Tuesday. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The transfer window is open! Clubs around the UK and Europe have one final chance to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sivasspor vs. Alanyaspor (Sunday, 10.30am) Sivasspor will look to arrest their alarming slide when they host Alanyaspor in round 19 of the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk FC Twente vs. Willem II (Sunday, 11.15am) FC Twente will be hoping to get 2025 off to a winning start when they face fellow top-half opponents Willem II at De Grolsch Veste in Sunday's early kickoff in the Eredivisie. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Le Havre vs. Lens (Sunday, 2.00pm) Seeking their first victory since November, Le Havre will aim to close the gap between themselves and relegation when they host Lens on Sunday at Stade Oceane. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk RB Leipzig vs. Werder Bremen (Sunday, 2.30pm) RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose will hope to leave the rumours of his potential dismissal behind in 2024 and start 2025 with a win in the Bundesliga against Werder Bremen at home on Sunday at Red Bull Arena. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Genoa vs. Parma (Sunday, 11.30am) Separated by one point in the Serie A standings, both Genoa and Parma will seek their first win of 2025 in Sunday's lunchtime kickoff, as they meet at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Las Palmas vs. Getafe (Sunday, 1.00pm) Las Palmas will be aiming to stretch their unbeaten run in La Liga to five matches when they welcome Getafe to Estadio Gran Canaria on Sunday afternoon. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aberdeen vs. Hearts (Sunday, 3.00pm) Aberdeen, looking to end a horrific 10-game winless run in the Scottish Premiership, are set to welcome Hearts to the Pittodrie Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Hull City vs. Doncaster (Sunday, 12.00pm) As part of this weekend's FA Cup Third Round action, Championship Hull City are set to host League Two Doncaster Rovers on Sunday at The MKM Stadium. 12 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Despite the financial obstacles, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has insisted that he will try to work out a way of bringing Marcus Rashford to AC Milan this season.