Goals might not have been on the menu in Round Two of the Soweto Derby but there were plenty of talking points and good displays. Njabulo Ngidi looks at three standout performances in Kaizer Chiefs’ win over Orlando Pirates on Saturday at FNB Stadium to reach the final of the Telkom Knockout
Willard Katsande
Katsande finished the match with a yellow and white bandage wrapped around his head and his shorts rolled up on his left leg. This was the look of a man who had gone to war and lived to see another day as his defensive work helped Chiefs reach the Telkom Knockout final. Steve Komphela deployed the Zimbabwean hardman just in front of the central defensive duo, Eric Mathoho and Ivan Bukenya.
It proved to be a masterstroke because there was some balance in the defence, putting on a goal-saving tackle to block Kermit Erasmus’ through ball to Thamsanqa Gabuza. Katsande’s presence ensured Amakhosi had a three-man defence when the fullbacks attacked. While Komphela searches for a reliable partner for Mathoho, Katsande will have to carry most of the weight tidying up in front of the central defensive pair.
Siyabonga Sangweni
The memory will last for a long time: Sangweni stepping up to take a penalty in sudden death, he skies it, hitting the woodwork to hand Amakhosi the win. But the central defender was solid at the back, out-muscling Camaldine Abraw and winning most aerial duels against the Togolese forward. The 34-year-old might have lost pace through the years but his intelligence and reading of the game makes him an asset, especially in big matches. Sangweni was one of the reasons why goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane didn’t have to do much in goals for the Buccaneers.
Brilliant Khuzwayo
Khuzwayo didn’t play like someone featuring in his first match of the season, in a wounded Chiefs’ most important encounter where he replaced arguably the best goalkeeper in the country, Itumeleng Khune. His performance showed just how blessed Amakhosi are in the goalkeeping department where they can call on any of three keepers and still look solid.
Khune’s injury opened the door for Khuzwayo to start in goals, putting on a similar display to what he dished up in last year’s MTN8 final when Amakhosi had the better of rivals Pirates.
Khuzwayo was supposed to start this season as Chiefs’ No1, voted into the club’s Carling Black Label Cup starting XI while the Khune saga played out.
But an injury kept him out, just as Khune’s injury pushed him up the pecking order.
The Umlazi-born ’keeper made the most of the chance with fine saves to deny Menzi Masuku, Thamsanqa Gabuza and Kermit Erasmus among Pirates’ attackers.