Kaizer Chiefs moved to the top of the Castle Premiership after they scored a hard fought 1-0 win over Ajax Cape Town at Ellis Park on Sunday. Chiefs led 1-0 at halftime.
The match lived up to its top-of-the table label with both sides giving the 30 000 crowd more than their money’s worth.
Chiefs had a territorial edge in a hard-fought but entertaining first half with both keepers making excellent saves.
But it was Chiefs’ goalkeeper, Rowen Fernandez, who was the more spectacular when he denied Ajax’s dangerous striker Wilfred Mugeyi in the seventh and 18th minutes.
The young Amakhosi keeper then pulled off a spectacular stop from Mulekelayi Kanku in the 39th minute.
At the other end, Moeneeb Josephs did well to stop a powerful free kick from John Moshoeu in the 24th minute. However, Josephs could do nothing to prevent Sibusiso Dlamini netting in the 29th minute. The Chiefs striker did well to beat off a number of tough challenges and beat Josephs with a low, hard shot to make it 1-0.
Josephs showed his class when he produced the save of the match in the 57th minute when he brilliantly palmed Dlamini’s goal-bound effort over his crossbar.
But Ajax clawed their way back into the match. A bad miss from their leading goal scorer, Josep Ngake, prevented the Cape side drawing level on 77th minutes. Ngake, who has scored four goals in three matches, ballooned his shot from close range over the crossbar.
Three minutes later Ajax substitute Brent Carelse shot wide with Fernandez at full stretch. Then, with two minutes left Fernandez denied Alfred Phiri an equaliser with another good save from close range. — Sapa