Vilakazi Scores A Beauty As Chiefs Beat Gallants
Kaizer Chiefs have topped the Betway Premiership on opening day after edging 10 men Marumo Gallants 2-1 in Free State Stadium on Saturday.
A sold-out affair under rainy weather conditions saw kick-off get delayed by 15 minutes with supporters strolling in large numbers at the initially set kick-off time.
The game kicked off to a flying start when Marumo Gallants took an early lead in the eighth minute. A deflected Sekela Sithole goal, who got on the end of a wonderfully worked cut back from Gallants’ patient build stunned Amakhosi early in the game.
After the goal, the game took a swift turn with Chiefs repeatedly asking questions of the Gallants’ goals.
It eventually came in the 16th minute for the Soweto giants when young Mduduzi Shabalala took advantage of a build-up error, winning the second ball and exquisitely chipping it over Washington Arubi.
As the pressure mounted for Gallants, who found themselves conceding multiple corner kicks in succession, Washington Arubi picked up an injury and was forcibly replaced by Daniel Akpei in the
An end-to-end first half, defined by thin margins and technical distinctions ended with both teams sitting at one goal a piece.
The first major action of the second half came in the 55th minute. Chiefs got a free kick just outside the box. A direct free-kick attempt from Guston Sirino was not enough to trouble Akpeyi.
In an attempt to bolt his midfield, Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi replaced Samkelo Zwane with Edson Castilo in a like-for-like substitution.
In the 63rd minute, the young Shabalala missed out on grabbing a brace for Chiefs. A golden opportunity for the 20-year-old who was isolated with the ball after the goalkeeper was rebounded but failed to hit the target after putting too much thought into his decision.
In the 69th minute, Gallants’ coach Dan Malisela looked to ignite more energy in his attack by replacing Kamohelo Mahlantse with forward, Daniel Msendami.
Matters took a sharp downturn for Gallants after Joseph Malongoane brought down Wandile Duba just outside the box, earning himself a straight red card.
The Soweto giants swiftly took advantage of their numerical advantage after substitute, Mfundo Vilakazi was at the end of a superbly worked counterattack. The Chiefs academy graduate precisely slotted it into the far post at the end of Duba’s cutback to take the lead in the 79th minute.
With the full ninety minutes and the referee’s optional time concluded, Chiefs officially opened their campaign with a positive result, taking home all three points in Bloemfontein, which would please their fans who packed up the venue.
