And still unbeaten and unstoppable! That’s the best way to sum up the football feast dished up after Kaizer Chiefs tore Orlando Pirates to shreds in a high-octane Soweto Derby here yesterday.
Indeed, Chiefs’ dream run this season continued unabated as they continue to build an unassailable lead at the summit of the Absa Premiership.
With their emphatic win over their bitter rivals courtesy of goals by Man of the Match Siphiwe Tshabalala and Siphelele Mthembu, Chiefs romped to their 11th win of the season and remain unbeaten after 14 matches. Chiefs now have 36 points.
Though Chiefs won, in the first half Pirates dominated.
However, the Buccaneers did not punish Chiefs when the log leaders were vulnerable.
Pirates simply failed to pull the trigger when they had Chiefs at their mercy.
Chiefs retreated deep in their own half and Pirates surged forward and a chance fell for Thandani Ntsumayelo but his shot was blocked by Erick Mathoho in the 10th minute.
Two minutes later, Amakhosi goalkeeper Brilliant Khuzwayo was forced to pull off a brilliant save by punching the ball away from a dangerous cross from Pirates left-back Patrick Phungwayo. While Khuzwayo and his defence had a tough time thwarting the advances of Pirates, his opposite number, Brighton Mhlongo, had a relatively easy first half.
During that period, Chiefs were not enterprising and were limited to few chances.
The only opportunity that went their way was when Reneilwe Letsholonyane sent Siboniso Gaxa down the right and the defender put in a sweet cross that was met by Kingston Nkhatha whose header sailed inches over the bar.
Pirates’ lone striker Lehlohonolo Majoro, the one-time Chiefs man, rarely had a chance to breathe as defender Mathoho kept him in check.
Majoro’s teammates, however, were tops in the middle of the park.
Pirates’ moves were promising, but they did not bear any fruit.
It must have been agony for Bucs fans as pretty moves went astray.
One such saw Sifiso Myeni finding Daine Klate down the left and the winger offloaded to skipper Oupa Manyisa.
The man nicknamed “Ace” fired a shot but the Chiefs rearguard kept it out.
As Pirates grew in confidence, their attacks were more frequent.
In a counter-attack that exposed Chiefs’ weakness at the back, Majoro broke free down the left and spotted Ntshumayelo making a run in the middle. He obliged with a deft pass. Ntshamayelo challenged for the ball and took Letsholoyane out of the equation with impressive stopovers. But, alas, he found the wrong side of the net with his shot.
Chiefs played second fiddle but their fans woke up from their slumber to cheer after they almost had the lead when Bucs defender Rooi Mahamutsa headed just wide of his own posts from a Gaxa cross.
For the better part of the match Tshabalala was anonymous. And yet he showed his star quality when he emerged from nowhere to send the Chiefs fans into ecstasy.
It was a moment of sheer brilliance in the final third as Tshabalala fed Letsholonyane, who then found Bernard Parker on the edge of the box down the right and Parker put in a low cross that Tshabalala fired into the roof of the net beyond the reach of Mhlongo.
Tshabala’s goal, his first of the season, was reminiscent of the one he scored during the World Cup opener against Mexico four years ago at this venue.
Pirates brought in Mpho Makola and Kermit Erasmus to put some spark in attack, while Chiefs strengthened their defence with Morgan Gould coming in for Parker. A superb move initiated by substitute George Lebese was rounded off by former Buccaneer Siphelele Mthembu to make it 2-0.
In the end, it was a Derby of firsts. It was the first derby for Eric Tinkler in charge, for Mhlongo in the Bucs goal and first goals for Tshabalala and Mthembu.