SUPERSPORT UNITED (1) 1
Morris 44
KAIZER CHIEFS (0)
POLOKWANE, Peter Mokaba Stadium - Revenge was sweet for Matsatsantsa a Pitori here last night as Amakhosi learnt the hard way that there is no room for comments in the results column.
Gavin Hunt and his team met the final whistle with wild celebrations, delighted that they had gotten even after last weekend’s 4-0 Carling Knockout humiliation at this very same venue.
Chiefs dominated in every aspect of this match, possession, chances created and even out in the crowd where they so outnumbered their opposition they could well have been the home side.
Tashreeq Morris scored the game’s only goal late in the first half and it was all she wrote as SuperSport inflicted Chiefs’ second successive defeat of the Betway Premiership after Amakhosi lost 2-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns last time around.
Incredibly, it had appeared as though Chiefs would dish out a repeat dose as they dominated the initial stages of the match. Amakhosi enjoyed the more possession and visited the home team’s danger area more often.
Yet, incredibly, it was SuperSport who asked the first real question with Keanin Ayer forcing a save out of Fiacre Ntwari on eight minutes. Morris then sent a warning to the visitors with a great forward run on 20 minutes by Chiefs captain Inacio Miguel was alert to the danger and cleared.
Chiefs then lost Edson Castillo to injury and brought on Yusuf Maart as his replacement. Eight minutes in, Fiacre did well to dive and parry away a shot by Ayer.
Still, it was Amakhosi who pressed and they fashioned numerous half chances that got the majority of the near capacity crowd excited – with Reeve Frosler and Mdu Shabalala shooting over on 24 minutes and the half-hour mark respectively.
Wandile Duba then shot tamely at Thakasani Mbanjwa who was in the SuperSport goals for the injured Ricardo Goss.
Such is the nature of this game that failure to make one’s dominance count often ends in tears. And so it proved for Chiefs as SuperSporrt hit them just before the break – an attack from the right ending with Morris slotting home his first goal for Matsatsantsa and ending the three-match scoring drought that was fast making a mockery of Hunt’s team being among the potential challengers to Mamelodi Sundowns’ reign as the undisputed kings of South Africa’s elite league.
They did very well to survive a second half onslaught from Chiefs that forced them to play the entire 45 minutes on the backfoot. Amakhosi threw everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink at SuperSport as they searched for the equaliser that just did not come.
They knocked the ball about purposely and sometimes with some very impressive movement to get to the final third to raise their fans’ hopes. But SuperSport, although often stretched and carved open, somehow managed to thwart all those relentless attacks.
Mbanjwa got his name in lights with three brilliant saves in that period - the first one was an illustration of his good positioning as he stopped a good shot by Ranga Chivaviro on the turn. He then tipped over a dangerous looking shot over for a corner on 65 minutes. Then with five minutes left, he stretched himself full length to push out a powerful shot by Mfundo Vilakazi.
It could well be the victory to turn SupeSport’s season around, their having been outplayed notwithstanding.