Substitute George Lebese led a late surge to score an injury-time winner as Kaizer Chiefs beat English outfit Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the opener of the Vodacom Challenge at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday.
With Chiefs on a quick counter-attack in what turned out to be the final move of the match, Lebese calmly placed the ball past the outstretched hands of Spurs goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini in the 90th minute.
In front of a near capacity crowd in the Limpopo venue, both sides showed sporadic flashes of entertainment which was expected in what was their first pre-season encounters ahead of the 2011/12 season.
Chiefs, however, created most of the chances particularly in the first-half where they looked sharper than the visitors when they moved the ball around.
Midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala’s shot outside the box went narrowly wide of goal in the 14th minute.
Striker Lehlohonolo Majoro — playing in his first outing for the club since signing from AmaZulu earlier in the month — fluffed two clear-cut opportunities for the Soweto giants in the first 45 minutes of the encounter.
First Majoro shot abysmally wide of the penalty box after Cudicini perished a shot from Tshabalala into his path in the 31st minute.
He then headed over the bar having found himself unmarked in the box from a sweetly timed Zhaimo Jambo cross on the left flank shortly before the interval.
Spurs opted not to include Bafana Bafana star midfielder Steven Pienaar and the much sought-after midfielder Luca Modric in their 22-man squad for the day.
Another of their Bafana players, defender Bongani Khumalo was introduced as a substitute in the 74th minute.
The Lilywhites, as Spurs are known as, lacked cohesiveness in the opening half with their two chances, that fell to midfielders Niko Krancjar and Jermaine Jernas, easily dealt with by Chiefs keeper Itumeleng Khune.
They came out a much better outfit in the second-half with the introduction of beanpole England striker Peter Crouch for Jermain Defoe.
Crouch put together better combinational play with Irishman Robbie Keane upfront.
The cunning pace of Spurs wingback Gareth Bale saw him beat Jimmy Tau for pace on the left channel only for his final shot to go across the face of Khune’s goal.
Midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, with Spurs on the counter-attack, also saw his shot on the edge of the box brush the upright with the keeper beaten.
The local side, however, came back strongly in the final 10 minutes of the match as Spurs seemed to tire after the introduction of Lebese and fellow winger, Abia Nale.
While Spurs will face Orlando Pirates in Nelspruit on Tuesday evening, Chiefs’ next match is the Soweto Derby against Pirates in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
The winner will play Spurs again in the final in Johannesburg next Saturday. — Sapa