Chiefs punish Stellenbosch for dropping guard

Published Mar 11, 2017

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CAPE TOWN – Kaizer Chiefs were given a bit of a scare in the opening 45 minutes, but eventually ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over National First Division side Stellenbosch FC in a last-32 Nedbank Cup tie played at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday night.

Coming into the fixture, Stellenbosch, a club just six months in existence, wanted to simply give a good account of themselves and to expose the team to a wider audience, especially on the big stage afforded by a game against Chiefs.

In a tight first half, the First Division side certainly gained a lot of admirers as their industry and commitment caught the eye.

But they couldn’t sustain the tempo and focus for their entire 90 minutes, and eventually succumbed to the Soweto club’s superior class and quality.

In that first half, Stellenbosch impressed with the efficient manner in which they implemented the game plan.

They kept things compact, crowded the midfield areas, and never allowed Chiefs to play through their lines. They were highly organised, always put pressure on the player in possession, and they weren’t afraid to get stuck in too.

They allowed Chiefs to have the ball in non-threatening areas and, when the Soweto side lost the ball, they tried to hit swiftly on the counter.

The big problem for the Winelands team, though, was their inability to turn promising attacking situations into goals, or even attempts at goal. They just seemed to lack a cutting edge up front.

When they countered and found themselves in the Chiefs’ final third, they were always let down by poor decision-making or a player’s lack of confidence and decisiveness.

Nedbank Cup Stellenbosch FC vs Kaizer Chiefs Man of Match : Lucky Baloyi pic.twitter.com/6s2EjvqTDn

— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) March 11, 2017

In contrast, as Amakhosi are well-known for, when handed openings, they made the most of it.

Stellenbosch, in fact, had the first real scoring chance early on when Diego Brown rasped a shot in from range, but Amakhosi’s stand-in goalkeeper Brilliant Khuzwayo pulled off the stop.

At the other end, Chiefs had a few opportunities in the opening half, with Lucky Baloyi ballooning two attempts over the bar, Edmore Chirambadare going close and Venezuelan Gustavo Paez having a close-range shot saved by Stellenbosch goalkeeper Washington Arubi.

The overall calibre of Chiefs was bound to tell eventually, so it was always going to be a case of Stellenbosch holding their nerve and not losing concentration.

Unfortunately, just two minutes into the second half, in what was probably the first time the First Division campaigners let their guard down, they got punished for their naivety.

Paez found himself in space, lobbed in the cross, and Joseph Molangoane was able to head into an empty net.

The goal shifted the Soweto side into cruise mode and it was no surprise when they increased their lead when skipper Siphiwe Tshabalala hoofed a powerful low drive into the back of net.

And it was the influential Paez who made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute after he rounded Arubi for a simple tap-in.

To Stellenbosch’s credit, despite being second-best in the second half, they never allowed their heads to drop. They kept fighting and kept trying – and, in the end, they probably felt that they had achieved what they set out to do.

They may have lost, but the gritty performance will be imprinted in the minds of football followers.

If you haven’t heard of Stellenbosch FC before, well, you certainly do now.

And, for the new Winelands club, if that’s the case, then it’s definitely “mission accomplished”.

@Reinerss11

Independent Media

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