Kaizer Chiefs send warning to Sundowns as first half masterclass sinks AmaZulu

Published on by Joel Oliver, updated on

The Glamour Boys did their damage early before surviving a second half onslaught

Kaizer Chiefs sent a message to Mamelodi Sundowns ahead of this weekend’s meeting as they survived a second half onslaught from AmaZulu to win 3-1 in their second PSL match of the season.

The Glamour Boys took a 2-0 lead inside 14 minutes with Ranga Chivaviro opening the scoring before Gaston Sirino scored a goal of the season contender.

Chivaviro was teed up well while he was on the move and fired directly at Olwethu Mzimela in the AmaZulu goal before the goalkeeper punched the ball in his path and he scored from the rebound to give Chiefs a deserved lead.

Chiefs had started strongly, forcing AmaZulu into mistakes which they capitalised on. Two minutes later, Sirino showed his class with a beautiful goal.

How did Kaizer Chiefs silence AmaZulu?

The former Mamelodi Sundowns attacker picked the ball in midfield, ran at his markers before unleashing an unstoppable shot that Mzimela could only watch as it flew into the net.

It almost became three for Chiefs a minute later when Mduduzi Shabalala made a great run to receive the ball in between the AmaZulu defenders but he was adjudged to have been offside as he demanded for a penalty after being brought down in the box.

Chiefs went ahead soon after when new signing Inacio Miguel headed home the third goal from a corner. Having just been booked before the corner was taken for something he said to the referee, the Angolan defender rose highest to power home a header as Chiefs looked like they were cruising.

After a first half when they were totally dominant, things changed in the second half as AmaZulu upped the ante and they were rewarded instantly.

Ighodaro was a thorn in Amakhosi’s flesh

Etiosa Godspower Ighodaro gave Usuthu some lifeline when he scored in the 47th minute to send a warning to Chiefs, a goal that set the tone for the rest of the second half.

It was chance after chance for the home side with the striker coming close to scoring after Ethan Brooks thought he had grabbed the second for AmaZulu but hit the crossbar.

Chiefs goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari would be called into action twice after but he was only saved by the post when Ighodaro brought in a shot that saw the custodian rooted to the spot 10 minutes from time.

In the end, Chiefs survived the second half onslaught to walk away with all three points for back-to-back league wins ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster meeting with champions Sundowns.  

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Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.