No one seemed happy with the outcome as Kaizer Chiefs drew 2-2 with old nemesis SuperSport United in their opening Premier League game of the season at Loftus on Sunday afternoon.
The respective coaches, Ernst Middendorp of Chiefs and Pitso Mosimane of SuperSport, were at each other’s throats like rottweilers after a tense, turbulent game. Players from both teams trooped off the pitch as though they they had participated in a funeral.
Even SuperSport United captain Ricardo Katza, who should have emerged as the game’s hero after scoring both his team’s goals, had reason to feel despondent after indiscretions on his part helped Chiefs equalise.
After securing only one Premier League victory against SuperSport in the past seven seasons, it looked like the old jinx was tormenting Chiefs again when they trailed 1-2 with only five minutes of regulation time remaining.
Katza, at this point, mistimed a headed clearance and Chiefs substitute Kaizer Motaung Junior blasted the ball into the net from 10m to save some face for the Amakhosi.
But Mosimane called it ”the great escape” and was equally scathing in his comments about Middendorp for trying to influence the referee and refusing to shake hands with him after the final whistle.
A raucous crowd of mainly of Chiefs’ supporters fell silent when Katza took advantage of a static Amakhosi defence to open the score from close-range in the 40th minute.
Katza conceded the free-kick from which Chiefs orchestrated David Mathebula’s equaliser in the 51st minute — with the SuperSport captain also restoring his team’s lead following a reckless tackle by Cyril Nzama on Katlego Mashego.
With Chiefs looking dead and buried Katza committed his second indiscretion of the match to provide Motaung Junior with the chance to record his 85th minute equaliser.
In truth, however, James Chamanga had squandered a golden opportunity of giving SuperSport a 3-1 lead. But with Chiefs enjoying a clear territorial advantage during the first half and engineering twice as many chances as their opponents, a draw was a fair result in the circumstances — even if it did not send anyone jumping over the moon. – Sapa