Amakhosi silence doubters by beating Team of Choice
IT WAS far from convincing, but head coach Steve Komphela and his Kaizer Chiefs charges silenced their doubters and turned the jeers of their own fans into cheers with a 2-0 win — their second triumph in succession in a space of three days.
They put Maritzburg United to the sword last night at FNB Stadium with first-half goals from defender Lorenzo Gordinho and midfielder William Twala to eliminate the earlier “Steve Must Go” chants that rang around the same venue after Amakhosi’s 1-1 draw against Platinum Stars in their first home match of the season last week.
Those chants were not heard when Chiefs got off the mark with a 1-0 win over Highlands Park in Tembisa on Wednesday, and they certainly died a death with this result — a seventh home win over United in 11 encounters in Johannesburg since the 2004/05 season and the fourth win in the last six.
But the air of fretfulness, of something not quite right over how Komphela wants his team to play, continues.
That the Chiefs coach named his fourth different starting lineup in as many matches is proof that he is struggling to settle on a regular lineup which is affecting the team’s rhythm and combinations.
After a lukewarm start as the Team of Choice were first to get out of the blocks and had already sent in two shots on target in five minutes.
Kaizer Chiefs then took the game by the scruff of its neck with goals from Gordinho and Twala to put them in a commanding position going into the break at a near-empty Nasrec venue.
Amakhosi found the back of the net as Gordinho towered over his markers to head home the opening goal in the 19th minute and give the home side the lead.
Twala doubled the score with a sumptuous finish on the stroke of half-time after an assist from the much-criticised playmaker Hendrick Ekstein to hand Chiefs their first win of the season on their home turf.
Chiefs’ indifferent start to the season has been of great consternation for their supporters and a source of much hilarity for opposition fans.
But that changed yesterday as Komphela’s charges joined Orlando Pirates (first), Bidvest Wits (second) and third-placed Cape Town City (all on seven points) at the top of the Absa Premiership log.
Amakhosi are now joint top and third on the log on seven points from four matches, but they have played a game more than their new nearest rivals after the Wits versus Pirates top-of-the-table clash at Bidvest Stadium was postponed due to student unrest in and around the university grounds.
Maritzburg are stuck on four points from as many matches and have not won since their opening day away victory at Bloemfontein Celtic.
The coach named his fourth different starting lineup in as many matches