This is what a premium fixture should be like ...
We probably let Sundowns off the hook, says Benni
THEY say defending is an art and SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo – as well as his Kaizer Chiefs counterpart, Giovanni Solinas – can attest to this.
Both teams will have to work on their rearguard ahead of the MTN8 semi-final second leg at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
What was on display yesterday were schoolboy errors, low-grade defending and could have convinced both Tembo and Solinas that a defender or two is needed before the transfer window closes on Friday.
From a neutral point of view, this was what a Sunday afternoon premium fixture in the top-flight should be: a four-goal thriller that had both sets of fans occasionally checking for a pulse.
But the coaches will be worried about having to address the frailties and will want to act quickly given there’s still nine months of football to be played.
Chiefs got off to an ideal start with Khama Billiat breaking the deadlock, the Zimbabwean finishing off a move he started with striker Dumisani Zuma.
The SuperSport defence was caught ball watching and the speedy Zuma dragged the ball to the edge of the penalty box before tucking it in as he first looked for Leonardo Castro, who couldn’t get to the ball, but finding Billiat to guide the ball into an empty net. But the hosts have already shown on a few occasions this season that they have a never-say-die attitude and are the comeback kings.
SuperSport piled on the pressure knowing that something would give. Chiefs haven’t been at all comfortable at the back this season, Solinas even going as far as requesting the club recall centreback Lorenzo Gordinho from his loan spell with Bloemfontein Celtic, but the Free State-based outfit have so far refused and insisted that the player is theirs to keep until January.
Amakhosi only enjoyed their lead for all of five minutes before Bradley Grobler equalised and then later put SuperSport ahead on the stroke of halftime.
This is where Solinas watched in disbelief as his team’s defensive flaws were on full display as SuperSport asked questions.
Grobler controlled the ball brilliantly in the opposition half, pulling away from Daniel Cardoso to beat goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune for the first of his two goals. Cardoso really should have been a little tighter in his man-marking of the SuperSport striker.
Then, in almost a copy of the equaliser, Grobler was on the receiving end of a long throw from Phumlani Ntshangase.
Cardoso was again ball watching, but this time he was joined in the gazing by Ramahlwe Mphahlele and Siyabonga Ngezana – Grobler being given plenty of space to aim and shoot for SuperSport to take the lead. It is due to this lack of leadership at the back that Khune, Bafana Bafana’s first-choice goalkeeper, has only kept one clean sheet in five games.
SuperSport didn’t set a prime example either when they had their backs against the wall in the second half as Chiefs looked to level matters.
Billiat turned provider for Castro to make sure Chiefs took with them two away goals for the second leg next weekend.
Amakhosi will need to have addressed their defensive issues by that time because SuperSport have to score to advance to the final on September 29. CAPE TOWN CITY have to negotiate a tough MTN8 semi-final second leg against Mamelodi Sundowns in Atteridgeville on Sunday – but, before that, there’s another tricky hurdle to clear: the Cape side has to make the arduous trip to Bethlehem to face Free State Stars in a PSL fixture on Wednesday (7.30pm).
City defeated Sundowns 1-0 in the first leg of the semi-final at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon. But, with a difficult midweek game, it certainly adds to the pressure. City coach Benni McCarthy is aware of the challenge of a demanding week, which is why he is likely to tweak his starting team against Stars on Wednesday.
“When you play Free State Stars away, you have to go through the ugly travel,” said McCarthy. “It’s not pleasant, we have to fly to Johannesburg and then a five-hour bus trip to get to Bethlehem. It’s probably the main reason why not many Cape teams win at Free State Stars.
“But coming off a high (the win over Sundowns) we will treat Stars as another cup final. The three points on offer is our bread and butter – we have to make sure that we stay in touch with the high-fliers in the PSL, like Bloem Celtic and Wits.
“I will freshen the team up and make some changes; not too many changes, though, because I don’t want to disrupt the continuity of the team.”
As for Saturday’s victory against Sundowns, McCarthy wasn’t only happy with the performance of his team, but also with the quality of the football produced by both teams.
“For the people who paid their money to see two good footballing teams in action, they got their money’s worth,” said the City coach. “It was an exciting game. For us, I thought that tactically we only got it right in the second half. In the first half, we gave the ball away too much and we were fortunate to go in at half-time at 0-0. After that, in the second half, I thought we dictated the pace nicely; we applied pressure higher up, especially because it was the first time the two Sundowns centre-backs (Mosa Lebusa and Motjeka Madisha) played as a pair. We were able to control things and play our football.
“I also asked the team to use our aerial strength because we have the best deliverer in the game in Ayanda Patosi. And we got the goal from a set-piece. But I have to congratulate the players for their mentality, effort and perseverance. In the end, we probably let Sundowns off the hook because we should really have punished them even more.”