He may not have scored the most goals in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) this season, but Elias Pelembe can arguably be credited with the most valuable goals — as SuperSport United’s Mozambican midfielder proved once again at a stunned Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night while adding to Kaizer Chiefs’ woes.
Pelembe’s pin-point goal from 20m in the dying seconds of the opening half was sufficient to give SuperSport a 1-0 win and edge them closer to log leaders Ajax Cape Town, with the uncharacteristically dazed appearance of Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral after the latest debacle reflecting the general plight of the declining glamour club.
At this point, it would seem Chiefs could well repeat the ignominy of last season by failing to finish among the top eight in the PSL and thereby missing out on the Top Eight competition.
While a succession of coaches have been predictably blamed for Amakhosi’s plight, the simple truth of the matter is that the players are simply not good enough to be collectively rated among the top sides in the PSL.
SuperSport, for their part, maintained a reputation as Chiefs’ nemesis in league encounters over the past decade, losing only twice to Amakhosi over this period.
And, with a solid defence in which Ugandan goalkeeper Dennis Onyanga produced a flawless performance, SuperSport missed three gilt-edged opportunities to increase their lead in the latter stages.
Swaziland international substitute Dennis Masina was strangely hesitant after coming on to the pitch midway through the second half and twice surprisingly elected to pass to less well-placed teammates when invitingly placed to score.
Then, when Masina finally took it on himself to shoot in front of an open goal, he ballooned the ball metres wide of the post.
Chiefs, clearly lacking in confidence, were more often in the ascendancy as far as possession was concerned — and actually mustered 17 shots at goal during the match.
However, most of these efforts were off-key, leaving the Amakhosi faithful in the 10 000-strong crowd depressed and disillusioned. — Sapa