CAPE TOWN – Kaizer Chiefs made it seven straight wins and 10 overall from 11 matches in the Premierships with an easy 4-0 victory over Stellenbosch FC at Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.
Amakhosi re-open a 10-point lead at the summit of the table and on 31 points from a possible 33 look set to end the year off in pole position.
It’s back to the drawing board for Stellies who saw their four-game unbeaten run at home ended in emphatic fashion.
They did make a promising start but then faded away as their rivals who they were meeting for the first time in the league stole the show with a top showing that spells danger for the chasing pack headed by defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Stellies threatened first and from a long throw-in from Marc van Heerden into the penalty box had Chiefs’ defence scrambling and then fending off a corner to deny the big and strong striker Waseem Isaacs from having a crack at goalkeeper Daniel Akapeyi.
The Johannesburg visitors then took control of proceedings and their returning talisman Khama Billiart fired a shot from outside the 18-yard area that flew over Boy de Jong’s goal. The Dutch shot-stopper wasn’t able to prevent Siyabonga Ngezana from scoring his first goal of the season as the defender headed home a Lebogang Manyama corner in the 11th minute.
Full time score: Stellenbosch FC 0 : 4 Kaizer Chiefs (Ngezana 11’, Nurković 23’, 76’, Zuma 90 + 4’) #Amakhosi4Life #AbsaPrem pic.twitter.com/9RgoPgQiSq
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) November 27, 2019
After midfielder Kearyn Baccus has forced a fine save out of De Jong, the Glamour Boys doubled their advantage in the same manner as their opener with Serbian striker Samir Nurković claiming his fourth goal of the campaign. Stellies’ defence was all over the place and the absence of key central defender Morgan Gould through suspension was sorely felt by the top-flight rookies.
Former Cape Town City captain Robyn Johannes and Mogamad de Goede were the two central defenders who were under constant pressure to stem the pressure that proved unrelenting for the rest of the half.
Stellies coach Steve Barker needed more bite in the final third and made two changes for the second half with forward Dean van Rooyen making way for Lelethu Skelem and Mexican midfielder Diego Franco on for captain Jarrod Moroole. But the changes did little to alter the tempo of the game.
Chiefs were dominating in all departments and threatening to become the first team to put three goals past their outclassed rivals, and came close to doing that when Bernard Parker forced another fine save out of De Jong on the stretch.
Then Manyama on a run down the right side spotted an unmarked Nurković and send in a cross that the striker wasn’t able to stick away with a downward header that went wide of the target. But he wasn’t to be denied in the 76th minute scoring with the head into an open net.
Stellies did create a couple of half-chances with the best chance falling the way of Isaacs.
Chiefs rubbed it in with a final goal in the final moments scored by substitute Dumsani Zuma.