Mduduzi Shabalala rescued a point for Kaizer Chiefs from the jaws of defeat when his quickfire double saw Amakhosi come from two goals down to draw 2-2 away to Magesi FC.
Chiefs looked like they were heading towards a third straight league defeat after Wonderboy Makhubu’s fifth-minute header and Edmore Chirambadare freekick gave Magesi a 2-0 lead 18 minutes from time.
With Chiefs fans quiet, Shabalala stepped up to the plate to make the difference although both goals were down to the intelligence of substitute Gaston Sirino.
Magesi shocked Chiefs with an early goal
Just five minutes after conceding a second goal, Sirino dragged his markers out before squaring a clever ball towards the near post and Shabalala reacted quickly to fire a low shot into the back of the net for 2-1 and just a minute later, Chiefs were celebrating a second goal.
Some quick thinking from Sirino saw him fire home a low shot which hit the bar before bouncing off a Magesi defender who did not clear the ball well.
It fell to Shabalala just outside the box and the 20-year-old fired home an unstoppable shot on the volley to level matters and wake up their fans who had been kept quiet for most of the match.
Sirino’s intelligent runs, good passing and playmaking skills made Chiefs more enterprising in the second half and coach Nasreddine Nabi might perhaps rue his decision to start him on the bench.
Should Nabi have started with Gaston Sirino?
After a first half when neither team created much or threatened apart from Magesi’s first goal, Sirino turned on the style in the second half, creating the first best chance for Chiefs when he found Brandley Cross in the box with a delicious pass only for the left-back to head off target.
That was followed up by Chirambadare’s freekick, which beat Chiefs goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari at his near post, before Sirino played his role in Shabalala’s quickfire double.
The draw is not the result Nabi and his team were hoping for after back-to-back league defeats to Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United and it leaves them eighth on the table on seven points, 11 behind league leaders Orlando Pirates.
Nabi will be disappointed by his team’s start but can be proud of how they fought back ahead of their Carling Knockout quarter-final against Sundowns on Saturday.