Kaizer Chiefs finally put some smiles on the faces of their supporters following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Magesi FC at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday night. Magesi might be languishing in the relegation zone, but they surely frustrated the home who had to pull all the strings to get the maximum points.
The struggling Amakhosi came into the match in desperate need of a win after suffering two successive defeats at the hands of SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns.
So, they needed a morale-boosting win against Magesi and Ashley du Preez scored the only goal of the match with a tap-in following a flowing move from the right. After 20 matches, Chiefs are number eight on the league table, having registered 28 points.
Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi continued to make changes to his starting line-up. He made a total of four changes from the team that did duty against Sundowns in their last game on Saturday. Given Msimango, Mfundo Vilakazi, Ranga Chivaviro, Njabulo Blom started in the place of Rushwin Dortley, Thabo Cele, Mduduzi Shabalala and Tashreeq Morris. While three of the changes were forced because of injuries and suspensions, relegating Shabalala to the bench remains a big mystery with the stocky youngster one of Amakhosi’s best players this season.
Amakhosi dominated the ball possession, but they were not too threatening at all. In the first half, Chiefs had seven attempts at goal, but they were not creating anxious moments for the visiting side.
On the other side of the pitch, Magesi were punching holes in the Chiefs defence, but their final pass left a lot to be desired, with Tshepo Kakora the main culprit. Had they been more composed, they could have capitalised and stunned the home side. It was by no mistake that they did not create a single scoring opportunity in the entire opening stanza – in fact the first save the Chiefs goalkeeper Bruve Bvuma had to pull was only on the 50th minute mark when Gift Motupa sliced an acute angle shot from the right.
In the 70th minute, the on-rushing super-sub Du Preez benefitted from a clever Glody Lilepo cut back and slotted the ball into the net with goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze well-beaten. The goal came as a huge relief for the Chiefs supporters, the bench and the club bosses in the VIP booth.
Chiefs’ next assignment is an away Nedbank Cup quarterfinal clash against Stellenbosch FC at the Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday while Magesi will get a breather after they were knocked out of the tournament.
