The days of wine and roses might not yet be back for glamour club Kaizer Chiefs, but the 3-2 Premier League victory over AmaZulu at a sultry Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday eased the
Amakhosi away from the bottom of the log.
And if it was hardly anything like one of their connoisseur’s performances of old, it was, nevertheless a success that it gave Chiefs their 200th victory since the introduction of the PSL in 1997.
For AmaZulu, however, it was a heartbreaking setback that sends them sliding five positions down the log.
It was a clumsy tackle by AmaZulu’s Pere Ariweriyai that decisively turned the game Chiefs’ way when the Nigerian defender conceded a penalty and Simphiwe Tshabalala comfortably opened the score with a spot-kick in the 27th minute.
The goal heralded a hectic five minutes in which three goals were recorded, with the bustling Nkosinathi Nhleko using his strength on the ball to make the score 2-0 in the 29th minute and Kapamba Chintu reducing the deficit for AmaZulu in the 32nd minute with a courageous, daredevil header following a corner.
Chiefs were unfortunate to lose Nhleko with a knee ligament injury soon afterwards and appeared to shed a good degree of penetration after Venezualean international Jose Torrealba came on as the substitute.
But despite AmaZulu starting the second period with a concerted surge and coming close to equalising on two occasions, it was Chiefs who regained their two-goal advantage in the 56th minute through an acute-angled shot from David Mathebula that was deflected into the corner of the net.
Ayanda Dlamini appeared out of nowhere to bring AmaZulu back into contention with a close-range goal in the 70th minute.
There was more a show of relief than a celebratory response when it was over and Chiefs barely secured their first league win of the season with six changes in their line-up. A draw might
have been the more appropriate result for an AmaZulu team who have not beaten Amakhosi at home in 10 years. – Sapa