Chiefs too good for plucky Stars
Amakhosi were dominant but missed chances saw them having to settle for a single goal
KAIZER Chiefs continued where they left off last season — solid, measured and with a dose of style when required — to see off Free State Stars in tough conditions.
Amakhosi could have scored more. Stuart Baxter’s side’s endeavour was only once rewarded with a finish, when George Lebese stabbed in in the 57th minute.
Stars’ new Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet’s first official match in charge was tough. If anything, the conditions suited Stars, used to playing on cabbage-patch fields such as Goble Park in Bethlehem.
But Amakhosi, last year’s
The conditions demanded precision to gain advantage in possession. And Chiefs do precision well
runners-up after at one stage holding a 13-point lead, came out determined to dominate the underdogs and get 2014-15 off to a winning start. Stars put up their normal stiff fight on home ground. Chiefs were their competitive, clinical selves to tough out their first three points of the season.
Amakhosi’s midfield trio of Willard Katsande, Reneilwe Letsholonyane and George Maluleka worked hard to win possession, stifle their Stars counterparts and probe for openings when they could. They look a solid, experienced and classy combination for the men in gold.
The adverse conditions demanded precision to gain advantage in possession. And Chiefs do precision pretty well.
For the most part Amakhosi managed to carve out an advantage in the first half, though had to be wary of Stars’ quick runners on the counter-attack.
Maluleka’s free-kick early on came tantalisingly close. Stars responded with one of veteran defensive midfielder Paulus Masehe’s accurate passes down the middle that picked out the run of Thabo Moloi, with Itumeleng Khune forced out of his area to sweep.
Mostly, though, it was Amakhosi pressing. A great ball from right back Siboniso Gaxa found George Lebese free on the left. He beat fullback Sandile Mkhwanazi and brought the ball back in for Kingston Nkhatha to miss with a volley.
Mandla Masango’s skidding shot from the edge of the area saw Stars keeper Diakite Daouda alert. The keeper got down to save again from Maluleka’s punt across the area.
Stars suffered a setback when Daouda was stretchered off clutching his head just before the break. He was replaced by Ayanda Mtshali.
Chiefs had done a lot of hard work in the first half. Twelve minutes into the second they took the lead in relatively soft fashion.
Letsholonyane lost the ball in the Stars area, it fell to Namibian centre-back Angula Dacos- ta facing his own goal. He could not control and allowed Lebese to sneak a shot past Mtshali.
Tefu Mashamaite was onside and completely alone to a cross from Maluleka, the defender’s header forcing a diving save from Mtshali. Centre back partner Mulomowandau Mathoho won Lebese’s corner in the 77th minute, the ball falling to Kat- sande, who could not control a metre from the goal-line.
Chiefs kept pressing until the end. Maluleka slipped Masango down the right and the winger beat the sliding challenge of Robert Sankara, and chipped to the centre to Kingston Nkhatha, who could not get power on his header under the attention of the Stars defence.