The financial imbalances in South African soccer accounted for Jomo Cosmos venturing into the lion’s den to play their home Premier League game against Kaizer Chiefs at an Amakhosi stronghold in Orkney on Sunday afternoon.
But like Daniel in biblical times, Jomo Sono’s team tamed the feared beast in front of their army of supporters at an oppressive, sultry Oppenheimer Park and moved into fourth place in the PSL log table.
In the process, Cosmos equalled third-placed Chiefs’ points tally with a game in hand and exposed some glaring limitations in both the defensive and attacking aspects of the Amakhosi line-up.
”Our tactics were simple enough,” said Cosmos owner-coach Jomo Sono.
”With a trio of speedy strikers in Calvin Kaidi, Anthony Laffor and Dikgang Malebane, we knew we would have Chiefs at sixes-and-sevens with swift counter-attacks — and that is exactly what happened.”
A headed goal from Sydney Plaatjies in the 22nd minute from a corner sent Cosmos on the road to a notable hat trick of victories.
While Chiefs were on level terms in the 25th minute through a scrambled, close-range goal from Ditheko Mototo, the enterprising, agile Kadi sped through a leaden-footed Amakhosi defence to restore Cosmos’s lead on the stroke of half-time.
A linesman came to the rescue of Jonas Nhlapo in the 75th minute when the referee was poised to gift Chiefs an unwarranted penalty after Gert Schalwyk had fabricated a non-existent infringment by Sammy Magalefa in the penalty area.
Nhlapo showed Magalefa a yellow card and was poised to award Chiefs a spot-kick when the linesman signified a previous off-side ruling –thereby nullifying what would have been a horrendous injustice.
Ultimately it was only the unfortunate Magalefa who was victimised by the bizarre incident — with his yellow card not revoked.
Ernst Middendorp altered his line-up with substitutions and positional switches like a desperate poker player shuffling the pack in a vain hope of changing his luck during the second half.
Still, Siyabonga Nkosi had two gilt-edged opportunities of salvaging a point for Chiefs in the closing stages — with Abeisi Shiningayamwe in Cosmos’ goal bringing off one breathtaking save and the other shot from the former Celtic midfielder skidding wide of the post. – Sapa