Cape Town City 0

Kaizer Chiefs 0

Athlone stadium, Cape Town

Kaizer Chiefs’ aspirations of qualifying for continental football next season suffered a setback when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Town City in a scrappy, niggly DStv Premiership match at the Athlone stadium in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.

The result leaves them in 7^th position in the table on 30 points from 21 matches, played, with nine left to play.

Coach Cavin Johnson was forced to reconfigure his midfield due to the double suspension of Yusuf Maart and Edson Castillo, as well as injury to Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, and their replacements, Siyethembe Sithebe and Sibongiseni Mthethwa make a bright start to the game.

Indeed, the whole Amakhosi side made a fast start to the match, noticeably shifting the ball around at a pace that had the home team on the back foot in the early exchanges.

Sithebe, making his first start since November skied a Mduduzi Shabalala free kick over the bar after only five minutes and, two minutes later, played a perfectly weighted through ball to set Wandile Duba clear of the Citizens defence. However, the teenage striker didn’t trust his left foot and in attempting to adjust his body to use his stronger right, failed to hit the target.

Chiefs, were showing a willingness to get the ball forward quickly, occasionally perhaps too quickly, and a number of potential counter-attacks were scuppered by a hasty pass here and a heavy touch there.

On a rare break, City’s Venezuelan forward Darwin Gonzalez struck the post with a powerful shot that Bruce Bvuma appeared to have covered anyway.

Sithebe had another opportunity in the 20^th minutes when the ball dropped to him from an Ashley Du Preez corner but his shot lacked the power to trouble Darren Keet in the Cape Town City goal.

At the other end, Bvuma produced a stunning save to tip City debutant, Aprocius Petrus’ wicked swerving shot from all of 35 yards over the bar on the half-hour mark.

The exciting, open encounter remained scoreless at the break, despite both teams’ positive attacking intent.

Shabalala came close to opening the scoring moments after the restart with a stininging shot that Keet did well to parry away. Three minutes later the same player released Duba with a magnificent long pass, and the youngster showed his pace by outstripping the defence and was unlucky to see his shot slide centimetres past the far post.

At the back, BVuma was determined to keep his eighth clean sheet of the season, as he reacted quickly to foil a Gonzalez effort in the 50^th minute.

Much of the quality displayed in the first half deteriorated in the second period as the play became disjointed and untidy, the flow interrupted by numerous stoppages for injuries and free kicks, with neither team able to gain any semblance of ascendency.

Amakhosi undoubtedly finished the game the stronger, as evidenced by two late opportunities that jus evaded conversion. First, substitute Dillan Solomons beat three players down the left only to see his cutback cleared off the toe of another sub, Mdu Mdantsane in the 85^th minute.

The final effort came a minute later but Du Preez took too long to set himself when played n by Edmilson Dove and couldn’t get his shot away in time.

Chiefs will have an opportunity to put things right on Tuesday evening when they entertain second=placed Stellenbosch FC at FNB stadium in a crucial match they must win to stay n the hunt for CAF qualification nest season.

Line-ups:

Kaizer Chiefs: Bvuma (44), Hlanti (23), Kwinika (4), Msimango (25), Dove (2), Sithebe (6), Mthethwa (5), Shabalala (42) (Mdantsane (3) 77’), Mmodi (13) (Basomboli Saile (21) 88’), Duba (36) (Solomons (18) 73’), Du Preez (9) (Chivaviro (7) 88’)

Subs not used: Petersen (1); Nj Ngcobo (27), McCarthy (35), Mashiane (19), Zwane (37)

Coach: Cavin Johnson

Cape Town City: Keet (16); Mkhize © (2), Mokhuoane (6) (Leshabela (18) 82’), Cupido (15), Petrus (19), Mendoza Gonzales (20), Rhodes (23) (Sereetsi (33) 82’), Gordinho (25), Nodada (26) (Slatsha (44) 64’), Goedeman (27) (Kutumela (7) 82’), Mayo (10) (Jody-Lee (54) 59’)

Subs not used: Mpandle (31), van Heerden (13), Sifumba (8), Fisher (22)

Coach: Eric Tinkler

Read More