ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Saturday 9.00pm
THE limitations of a slow, unimaginative and indisciplined Kaizer Chiefs team were brutally exposed at Johannesburg Stadium as they lost 2-0 to Nchanga Rangers of Zambia in the first leg of a CAF Cup second-round tie.
Goalkeeper Brian Baloyi did not help either, gifting the visitors from the Copperbelt their first goal after 20 minutes and being partly to blame for the second just before half-time.
Gift Chibuye could not believe his luck as a speculative lob from close to the halfway line bounced over Baloyi into the net and when the goalkeeper failed to hold a Harry Milanzi header, the striker ran in to poke the rebound home.
Between these goals, young midfielder Jabu Pule was fouled by Evans Mwambe and took revenge by punching Laughter Chilembi. Unfortunately, the rather portly Swazi referee saw the incident and the Amakhosi were down to 10 men.
To the credit of the black and gold they did try and rescue a seemingly impossible situation and, apart from a Seleni Phiri shot that Baloyi did well to push away, kept Rangers on the back foot during the second half.
Chances were few and far between, however, because once Chiefs entered the Zambian half, they lacked the pace and the invention to seriously trouble diminutive goalkeeper Evans Chewe while Siyabonga Nomvete was closely marked.
There were two chances that offered glimmers of hope for a fair-size crowd, who turned up on a freezing evening believing victory for Chiefs was little more than a formality.
Chiefs were awarded an indirect (it should have been direct) free kick for dangerous play and Jacob Tshisevhe blasted the ball toward the goal only for it to be blocked by a mass of Zambian bodies.
Veteran midfielder Doctor Khumalo was unlucky with 12 minutes left when his header was pushed on to the post by Chewe and cleared with the Zambians also down to 10 men after Chilembi was dismissed for a second booking.