Chiefs’ world comes crashing down
GOALS: Baroka FC — Manual Kambala (59m). Kaizer Chiefs: Khama Billiat (39m)
● Kaizer Chiefs had the lead, and the championship, but bottled it, and the flatness of their response after conceding an equaliser raises notions that there was more to it than the onfield performance in yesterday’s 1-1 Absa Premiership draw with Baroka FC.
That Chiefs could not manage more in a flat second half, in which Manuel Kambala equalised, after Khama Billiat put Chiefs in pole position with his strike in the first half, pressing for a historic title in their 50th anniversary season raises questions over how much they wanted it. And whether they would run themselves into the ground for coach Ernst Middendorp.
Postmortem will tell
The erratic coach’s split personality was all over yesterdays’s performance. Middendorp’s work in 2019-20, steering a team which finished ninth in 2018-19 to leading almost all of this bizarre Covid-19 season, has to be credited. He is not the palooka he has often been labelled as.
But if, as reports from within Naturena indicated, he fought with senior players in the crucial part of the season, then to what extent did the coach’s counterproductive aggressive personality play a part in undoing all that earlier hard work? Only the postmortem will tell.
In the end, Mamelodi Sundowns might have felt they were handed their defence of the title more than having to kill themselves fighting for it.
Chiefs came out applying their simple, direct tactics effectively, earning a goal lead by the break efficiently. They had all the chances controlling the first 45 minutes.
As influential as Daniel Akpeyi was in goal in the first half of the season, Chiefs have missed Itumeleng Khune’s calming influence, and of course that weapon of the Bafana Bafana keeper’s distribution.
A classic Khune lob into the area found Nurkovic to chest down for Billiat, who dragged the ball past leftback Bonginkosi Makume, then struck low past Elvis Chipezeze.
Amakhosi needed an equally well-applied plan to avoid the nerves they have displayed defending a lead in the bubble. They tried to come out consolidating from the break, and containing the inevitable spike in intensity from Baroka. But Amakhosi conceded softly. Gerald Phiri Junior’s free-kick sent in high from the right should have been dealt with, but Mozambican midfielder Kambala got between his markers and headed past Khune.
Middendorp’s response was panic. His side had made one real error. A 69th-minute triple substitution seemed an over-correction. After Dumisani Zuma, Lazarous Kambole and Anthony Akumu replaced Bernard Parker, Willard Katsande and Moleko, Chiefs lost shape. A team that should have been throwing themselves forward with ferocity let their heads drop. And they did not create a clear chance again, kissing the title goodbye too.