Mbombela - Kaizer Chiefs surrendered their Absa Premiership crown to Mamelodi Sundowns despite a penalty goal from Katlego Mphela handing the Amakhosi a 1-0 win over the University of Pretoria in a league match at the Mbombela stadium on Tuesday night.
The win takes Chiefs to 60 points from 29 games, but they are unable to catch Mamelodi Sundowns who top the table with 64 points after their win over SuperSport United also on Tuesday night.
The opening 45 minutes was the ‘same old, same old’ for the Glamour Boys as they dictated the flow of play, but their passing in the attacking third let them down time and again.
Chiefs’ poor passing in the final third of the field, very much like in their previous league matches, saw them unable to force Washington Arubi into any significant saves.
Tuks, on the other hand, looked to soak up the early pressure and hit on the counter-attack, and it was they who had the first shot on goal in the 21st minute. It was not a dangerous effort from Junior Sibande, however, who shot well-over from long range.
Besides from poor long range efforts on goal, Tuks were virtually non-existent in attack and Itumeleng Khune had very little to do between the sticks for the Amakhosi.
Chiefs finally began turning their pressure into goal scoring chances on the half hour mark.
Initially, Siphiwe Tshabalala saw one of his trademark corner-kicks almost sneak under the crossbar, but Arubi managed to flap it clear – the ball, though, fell to Katlego Mphela, but he headed wide from only a couple of yards out when he should have scored.
Four minutes later Tshabalala was the creator once more when a free-kick from the right side of the field found Tefu Mashamaite unmarked ten-yards out, but he headed straight at the keeper.
Chiefs fashioned another glorious scoring chance two minutes before the break when a long throw-in into the box by Tsepo Masilela was flicked into the path of Bernard Parker, but he headed wide from close range.
The second half was more of the same from the Amakhosi, but they finally made their pressure tell in the 74th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Kgotso Moleko was brought down inside the box by Sibande.
Mphlea stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, but it was too little as Chiefs surrendered their Absa Premirship crown to Mamelodi Sundowns.
University of Pretoria (0) 0
Kaizer Chiefs (0) 1 (Mphela 76’ pen)
Teams
Tuks: Washington Arubi, Grant Kekana, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Siyabonga Shoyisa, Junior Sibande, Mpho Matsi, Ronald Kektjijere (Raymond Monama 81’), Siyabonga Ngubane, Thabo Mosadi (Dipsy Selolwane 83’), Atusaye Nyondo, Geoffrey Massa (Thabo Mnyamane 79’).
Kaizer Chiefs: Itumeleng Khune, Kgotso Moleko, Tefu Mashamaite, Morgan Gould, Tsepo Masilela, George Lebese (Ivan Bukenya 88’), Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Willard Katsande, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Bernard Parker [Matthew Rusike 60’ (Kingston Nkhatha 77’)], Katlego Mphela.
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