Maart Makes Official SV Ried Debut In Thumping Win

Former Kaizer Chiefs captain Yusuf Maart made his official debut for SV Ried in the 5-0 drubbing of second division side Parndorf in the Austrian Cup.

The 30-year-old dynamic midfielder signed for the newly promoted outfit earlier this month, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal that’s set to run until June 2027 with an option to extend for a further 12 months.

During his spell at Chiefs, Maart made a total of 95 appearances across all competitions, with seven goals scored and eight assists provided, having joined the Soweto giants from Sekhukhune United ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Moreover, the Cape Town-born star scored a match-winning volley that ended Amakhosi’s decade-long trophy drought in a 2-1 win over fierce rivals Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final this year in May.

Now, embarking on a new journey with Ried, where he has linked up with his compatriot and former Stellenbosch FC winger, Antonio Van Wyk, Maart came off the bench for his first official appearance for the Austrian Bundesliga side.

The ex-Chiefs skipper was introduced in the 54th minute, while Van Wyk was withdrawn at halftime with the team still leading 1-0. Ried went on to score a further four goals to complete the rout and advance to the second round of the competition.

The two-time Austrian Cup winners will face off against another second-tier outfit, Union Gurten, in a match scheduled for 26 August. Ried last won the competition in the 2010/11 season, while the other triumph dates back to the 1997/98 term.

Maart and his new teammates will now turn their attention to their tough Austrian Bundesliga opener against 17-time champions RB Salzburg on Saturday, 02 August. It remains to be seen how the player will fare in European shores.