DUBE BIRDS SOAR HIGH
LATE STRIKE: SUBSTITUTE JOSEPH MHLONGO SINKS LUCKLESS CHIEFS
Swallows hit the top of the DStv Premiership with a priceless three points.
Alate goal was perhaps the most exciting part of last night’s otherwise non-inspiring DStv Premiership match between Swallows FC and Kaizer Chiefs at Dobsonville Stadium.
It was not a game you’d expect between old rivals as the two sides have a long history of rivalry in South African football and come from the same township of Soweto.
The game was okay, but mostly played at a pedestrian pace.
It was however not for a lack of trying from either side.
And the Dube Birds went home the happiest having pocketed the full points with a 1- 0 win courtesy of Joseph Mhlongo’s late goal.
But, it was Chiefs who could have scored first, when just hree minutes into the match, they had their first chance with Khama Billiat and Kgotso Moleko, who played as a winger, combining and sending in an inviting cross but Leonardo Castro’s attempted bicycle kick didn’t go as he wanted, and the ball sailed past to safety.
After this incident nothing much happened in terms of scoring chances, although there were some instances where they could have done better.
But maybe both sides were more prepared defensively.
The game warmed up a little towards the end of the first half and with five minutes to the break, Given Thibedi looked to cut through the Amakhosi defence, but Willard Katsande quickly spotted the danger, fouled the youngster and earned himself a yellow card for his effort.
But surely his team will not blame him because he probably saved them the blushes as Thibedi would have been through on goal had he gone past.
Two minutes later, Amakhosi were on the attack and Philani Zulu was unlucky to see his shot hit the post, with Virgil Vries looking well beaten.
Chiefs did get the ball into the net right at the end of the first half, with Lebogang Manyama curling a free kick beautifully past Vries, but Daniel Cardoso was judged to have impeded the keeper.
The second half also started slowly, with neither team making any real progress on attack, rather waiting to catch one another on the counter.
As the game looked headed for a goalless draw, five minutes from time, the Dube Birds struck via second-half half substitute Mhlongo, who got on the end of a cross from the right and kneed it past the out-stretched Itumeleng Khune, to send them to the top of the standings.