CHIEFS END HOODOO
SEMIS BECKON: SOLINAS’ MEN BREATHE SIGH OF RELIEF
Semifinal draw throws up another Soweto derby.
Kaizer Chiefs ended SuperSport United’s cup dominance over them yesterday to advance to the semifinals of the Telkom Knockout where they have been drawn against their archrivals Orlando Pirates.
Amakhosi beat Matsatsantsa a Pitori 1-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium to set up a date with the Buccaneers who last week beat them 2-1 in an Absa Premiership match. Both sides have gone over three seasons without a trophy and are desperate to end the drought which makes the semifinal a mouthwatering occasion.
Chiefs were however made to sweat and coach Giovanni Solinas said in a post-match TV interview he was impressed that his team responded to his call to show character after the deflating loss in the Soweto derby the previous weekend.
SuperSport could have gained a big advantage just eight minutes into the match when Itumeleng Khune handled the ball outside his box and denying Lebogang Mothiba a goalscoring chance, but referee Daniel Bennett didn’t give him a straight red card as the offence would normally have guaranteed but instead just flashed a yellow.
Both sides had a few chances but it was Chiefs who looked more threatening in the first half. They started well and kept Matsatsantsa on the back foot. They were duly rewarded when the referee gave them a penalty in the 37th minute.
But Willard Katsande hit the bar only for Mphahlele to come to his rescue a minute later when he rifled the ball into the net, beating Ronwen Williams who could have perhaps done better to cover his near post.
The strike saw Amakhosi through to the semifinals. It was sweet revenge for them against a side who knocked them out of the MTN8 earlier this season.
SuperSport came back a better side for the second half and created a few chances but nothing came off them as Chiefs stood firm at the back.
The victory ended Amakhosi’s poor run against Matsatsantsa in cup games – the Tshwane side had got the better of the Glamour Boys in the past four cup meetings and were seen to be replacing them as the cup specialists in local football.
Chiefs midfielder Wiseman Meyiwa is meanwhile said to be stable at an unnamed Free State hospital after he was involved in a car accident while on his way home to Pietermaritzburg on Saturday evening. Meyiwa is the second Chiefs player to be involved in an accident in a month, after Lebogang Manyama.
Robyn Johannes (above) was delighted as Bidvest Wits came through a tough test on Saturday evening at Maritzburg United to book their place in the Telkom Knockout semifinals.
The defending TKO champions scored twice in the last eight minutes of the second half, and though United pulled one back after the break, Wits held on.
“It was a difficult game, quarterfinals are like that, but we find ourselves in the semifinals and that is what we wanted,” Johannes told SuperSport TV after the game.
The 32-year-old joined Wits from Cape Town City this season, so he missed out on the Clever Boys’ 2017 TKO title, though he won the same competition with City in 2016.
Johannes has added even more nous to a Wits defence that already contains seasoned players like Thulani Hlatshwayo and Buhle Mkhwanazi, the latter heading in Wits’ second goal of Saturday’s match.