HARRIS COMES GOOD AND SINKS CHIEFS IN THE CUP
Mohammed Anas wanted out of the club and reinforcements up front were needed.
Ghanaian forward Anas stayed in the end, but Tchilimbou became the lead striker though he was hardly prolific before Saturday.
He netted in his second appearance for Stars, a 1-0 win over Cape Town City in January, but had since then gone 12 starts without finding the back of the net.
He showed his worth against Chiefs though, heading home the opener in the first minute and then adding a second when he profited from an error by Daniel Cardoso to score past Itumeleng Khune.
“He is a good striker with good mobility,” Eymael told TAB Sports Network Express. “We did not know what was happening with Manqele and Anas, whether they would stay or go. He has experience with the national team. We were not sure about what condition he would be in, but he was fine. We needed someone who was ready to play straight away.”
Born in Brazzaville, Tchilimbou started his career with local side AS Saint Martin before spells at Saint-Michel d'Ouenzé, CARA Brazzaville and AS Police Brazzaville.
He had a brief stint with Shabab Al-Ordon in Jordan, before returning home to play for top side Diables Noirs.
That won him a move to Missile FC in Gabon, where he spent two seasons, before returning to CARA Brazzaville for a season, and later Étoile du Congo and top team AC Léopards as his journeyman career continued.
Although he is primarily a forward, he can also play as an attacking midfielder or even a more deep-lying central midfielder, but has been preferred as an option up front by Eymael.
Tchilimbou represented Congo at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007 and in the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup before falling out of favour.
His next target will be to help Stars lift the Nedbank Cup trophy for the first time when they play the final of the competition in Cape Town on 19 May.