A last gasp goal from substitute Kabamba Musasa earned Kaizer Chiefs a hard fought 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates in a pulsating Castle Premiership derby played at the FNB stadium on Saturday. There was no score at half-time.
The Bucs fans in the capacity 80 000 crowd went home to a miserable Christmas, while Amakhosi’s win sees them regain their perch at the top of the standings.
Pirates looked the sharper of the two sides during an eventful first 45 minutes.
The Buccaneers were using their two speedy wingers, Joseph Makhanya and Patrick Thwala, to good effect. They were well supported by striker Jimmy Kauleza.
Bucs coach Augusto Palacios’ plan was to run at the slow Chiefs defence by using his wingers to try and get behind the defenders.
This tactic worked and created a lot of problems for Amakhosi. Thwala missed a cross from Makhanya in the third minute that sailed past the suspect Chiefs defence.
Both sides created chances. Amakhosi relied on the breakaway and they came close when Jabu Pule chipped a shot over the crossbar in the eighth minute. Pule seeing keeper Thabang Radebe off his goalline, tried to lob the stranded Bucs keeper.
Then a timely interception from Chiefs keeper Brian Baloyi in the 12th minute prevented Bucs skipper Benedict Vilakazi getting hold of a good cross from Kauleza.
At the other end Radebe did brilliantly to deny Pule in the 24th minute, when the wide awake Bucs keeper managed to get a foot out and block Pule’s goal bound shot.
The biggest controversy of the match came in the 38th minute when referee Jerome Damon booked Makhanya for diving inside the Chiefs penalty area when it looked as though defender Buti Sithole had caught the Bucs winger with a late tackle. But Makhanya did make a meal of the challenge.
Kauleza was wide with a 20 metre drive three minutes after the restart. The Bucs striker missed again 55 minutes when he tamely shot at Baloyi when he should have done better.
Dlamini also wasted a chance when he allowed Radebe to rob him of the ball when he should have tested the keeper. The Swaziland international was later replaced by Kabamba Musasa.
Kauleza was fractionally wide again in the 68th minute with another powerful shot that went into the side netting. The battle raged in midfield with neither side getting the upper hand.
Pule was again wide in the 77th minute when his left footed strike sailed past the upright. Then with time running out in the referee’s optional time, Musasa got behind the Bucs defence and headed home a pin point cross from John ”Shoes” Moshoeu for the only goal of the match. – Sapa