Chiefs run riot at Cape Town stadium
KAIZER CHIEFS made it seven straight wins and 10th overall from 12 matches in the PSL with an easy 4-0 victory over Stellenbosch FC at Cape Town Stadium yesterday.
Amakhosi re-opened a 10-point lead at the summit of the league standings and on 31 points from a possible 36 look set to end the year off in pole position. It’s back to the drawing board for Stellenbosch who saw their fourgame unbeaten run at home ended in emphatic fashion.
They did make a promising start, but then faded away as their rivals stole the show that spells danger for the chasing pack headed by defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Stellies threatened first from a long throw-in from Marc van Heerden into the penalty box had Chiefs’ defence scrambling and then fending off a corner to deny the big and strong striker Waseem Isaacs from having a crack at goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi.
The visitors from Soweto then took control of proceedings and their returning talisman Khama Billiat fired a shot from outside the 18-yard area that flew over Boy de Jong’s goal. The Dutch shot-stopper wasn’t able to prevent Siyabonga Ngezana from scoring his first goal of the season as the defender headed home a Lebogang Manyama corner in the 11th minute. After midfielder Kearyn Baccus had forced a fine save from De Jong, the Glamour Boys doubled their advantage in the same manner as their opener, with Serbian striker Samir Nurkovic claiming his fourth goal of the campaign. Stellies’ defence was all over the place and the absence of key central defender Morgan Gould through suspension was sorely felt by the top-flight rookies. Robyn Johannes and Mogamad de Goede were the two central defenders who were under constant pressure that proved unrelenting for the rest of the half.
Stellies coach Steve Barker needed more bite in the final third and made two changes for the second half with forward Dean van Rooyen making way for Lelethu Skelem, and Mexican midfielder Diego Franco on for captain Jarrod Moroole.
But the changes did little to alter the tempo of the game. Chiefs were dominating in all departments and threatening to become the first team to put three goals past their outclassed rivals.
They came close to doing that when Bernard Parker forced another fine save out of De Jong on the stretch. Then Manyama on a run down the right side spotted an unmarked Nurkovic and send in a cross that the striker wasn’t able to stick away with a downward header that went wide of the target. But Nurkovic wasn’t to be denied in the 76th minute, scoring with his head into an open net.
Stellies did create a couple of halfchances with their best chance falling the way of Isaacs. Chiefs rubbed it in with a final goal in the dying moments scored by substitute Dumsani Zuma.