Cape Town — Kaizer Chiefs signed off for 2022 on a triumphant note with a well-taken 2-0 DStv Premiership win over the luckless Golden Arrows at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The outcome marked back-to-back wins for Chiefs after they grabbed a 1-0 Soweto Derby win courtesy of a magic Yusuf Maart goal in October. It was a fine first-half performance by Chiefs who will be campaigning next year without the talented Njabulo Blom who has moved on to the USA.
Chiefs will move into fourth place on the standings behind SuperSport who also are on 24 points but have a superior goal difference. Arrows are in 10th position and are one of four teams with 16 points.
Golden Arrows grabbed the initiative at the start and their early pressure saw Chiefs' defence concede two corners in the opening six minutes.
Arrows striker Ryan Moon (ex-Chiefs) threatened with a deft header, but Chiefs' keeper Itumeleng Khune pulled off a fine save with an aerobatic dive to parry the ball. The supporting defence did well to clear the stray ball.
After 10 minutes of play, Arrows continued to impress with threats down the flanks but no real scoring chances materialised.
Once Chiefs weathered the storm, they imposed themselves on the match and for the 30 minutes, it was one-way traffic with midfielder Keagan Dolly orchestrating the attacks, mostly down the right flank.
Arrows did not always see the threat out wide, and they allowed several Chiefs players to run from deep options to wage attacks in the opposition half. One such run by Dolly in the 15th minute went unchecked and by the time he drew the defence his feed to striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana proved their undoing.
Bimenyimana held off a challenge by defender Ntsikelelo Nxadi and then unleashed a shot across the face of the goalmouth, beyond the reach of Arrows keeper Sifiso Mlungwana. The ball ricocheted off the upright and into the goals for the opening score in the match.
While continued to dominate, Arrows relied on counter-attacks to land the equalizer and midfielder Pule Mmodi managed a run into the Chiefs' penalty area where he was upended. Referee Xola Sitela waved play on despite the penalty appeals by the Arrows players.
Another member of Chiefs' Foreign Legion Edmilson Dove intervened in dramatic fashion to net the side's second goal in the 38th minute. In a goalmouth melee in the 18-yard box, plumb in front of Arrows' posts, Bimenyimana lost his footing but showed great presence of mind and pushed the ball to defender Dove, who was right up with play.
Dove calmly side-footed the ball through the crowded goalmouth past the unsighted Mlungwana (2-0).
By this time, the lead could well have been 4-0 but several scoring chances went begging as complacency set in the Chiefs' attack.
When play restarted Arrows were again quick out of the blocks and again, they failed to make an impact. Khune, the eventual 'Man-of-the-Match' pulled two fine saves in the space of six minutes and the crossbar came to the rescue on another occasion.
In the second half, however, Chiefs were unable to exert a vice-like grip on the match and Arrows lifted their game somewhat, but in the end, they flattered to deceive. They also enjoyed a lion's share of second-half possession.
90 + 5’| #GA 0 : 2 #KC
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) December 31, 2022
Full time score: Golden Arrows 0 : 2 Kaizer Chiefs (Bimenyimana 14’, Dove 38’)
DStv Man of the Match: Itumeleng Khune
#Amakhosi4Life #DStvPrem #KCFreshRevival pic.twitter.com/9e6kAr1ett
Richards Bay v Swallows report by Mihlali Baleka
In the day’s other game, Ernst Middendorp’s tenure as the new Swallows' coach started on a sour note after they were beaten 1-0 by Richards Bay.
Swallows’ loss meant that they remained 14th in the league, and two point clear of the drop zone, while Richards returned to the second spot with 26 points.
IOL Sport