Kaizer Chiefs moved to second place in the Absa Premiership with a thrilling 2-1 win over Bloemfontein Celtic at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium on Saturday night.
This should qualify as one of the matches of the season. Amakhosi underlined their potential as title challengers and while on this form there is no way that Phunya Sele-Sele will be relegated.
The defeat leaves Celtic in 15th position in the 16 team league on 18 points — one better than bottom club Bay United — who were beaten 2-0 earlier on Saturday by Platinum Stars.
The winning goal came from in-form striker Kaizer Motaung Junior in the 59th minute. Motaung has now scored four goals in five matches since he returned from an injury that saw him miss the entire first half of the season.
But Celtic substitute Geoffrey Sserunkuma had a last-minute penalty saved by Itumeleng Khune after Chiefs captain Tinashe Nengomasha was penalised for handling the ball inside his penalty area in the 89th
minute.
The action never let up in a pulsating first half which ranged from end to end.
Chiefs had a slight advantage but Phunya Sele-Sele looked more like a side challenging for the championship than trying to avoid relegation. New Celtic coach Owen da Gama has got his side ticking.
Celtic keeper Patrick Tignyemb made a mistake in the fifth minute when he allowed a long kick from his opposite number, Khune, to bounce in front of him and was forced to make a desperate save by tipping the ball over the crossbar. But the Cameroon born keeper made amends later in the half.
A minute later Celtic’s star midfielder Mark Mayambela rattled the upright from an acute angle.
Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral’s decision to employ a more attacking 4-3-3 paid off in the ninth minute when Jose Torrealba threaded through a superb ball for Siphiwe Tshabalala who slotted home into the far corner of the net to put Amakhosi 1-0 ahead.
Tshabalala almost returned the favour when his cross found the Venezuelan striker whose glancing header inched past the post in the 11th minute.
Celtic drew level in the 13th minute when Mayambela struck a brilliant free kick from 30m that flew over the defensive wall and beat Khune hands down.
Chiefs then won a free kick 25m out from the Celtic goal and Tshabalala’s shot inched past the upright with Tignyemb well beaten in the 18th minute.
Celtic striker Petrus Mahlatsi beat the offside trap two minutes later but with only Khune to beat he shot straight at the Amakhosi keeper.
At the other end Tignyemb pulled off a magnificent save from Abia Nale in the 22nd minute as Chiefs started to get the upper hand following a mistake from Celtic central defender Mario Booysen.
Torrealba blasted against the post with a bullet in the 26th minute and three minutes later Motaung junior miskicked after he was set up by another great through ball from Torrealba in the 29th minute.
Gert Schalkwyk missed two glorious chances early in the second half to put Amakhosi to the sword. The first came in the 47th minute when he was set up and with only Khune to beat he tamely shot at the keeper.
Three minutes later Schalkwyk crashed his shot against the post after he tried to profit from a mistake from defender Wayne Matle.
Torrealba wasted a chance to put his side into the lead when he headed at Tignyemb after a good cross from overlapping defender Onismor Bhasera in the 55th minute.
Soccer proved to be a cruel game for Celtic when Mayambela struck the woodwork and from the clearance, Torrealba, laid the ball to substitute David Mathebula who found Motaung junior unmarked and slammed home the winner in the 59th minute.
Mathebula forced another good save from Tignyemb in the 67th minute as Chiefs went for the killer goal.
Celtic failed to keep the pressure on Chiefs but nearly snatched the equaliser when Schalkwyk inched a close-range cross from substitute Tlou Segolela past the woodwork with 14 minutes remaining.
Chiefs substitute Josta Dladla’s chip over Tignyemb went fractionally wide in the 87th minute as Chiefs kept looking for that third goal.
Then came the controversial penalty and save from Khune in the final minute. – Sapa