Kaizer Chiefs edged out arch rivals Orlando Pirates 4-3 in a penalty shootout, after the teams were drawn 1-1 apiece after full time at a freezing Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Thursday night.
The victory ensures that the Amakhosi will play Manchester City in the final of the Vodacom Challenge at Loftus on Saturday at 3pm.
It was one of the most dramatic penalty shootouts between the two Soweto giants and had the 30 000 crowd on the edge of their seats.
Both goalkeepers Moeneeb Josephs and Itumeleng Khune did their best to psyche their opponents in the shootout. Bucs paid the penalty by missing three and having one saved. Chiefs missed two and had one penalty saved. The winning penalty was scored by Rooi Thabang.
Despite changing over 1-1 at the interval, Amakhosi had the better of the first half. Chiefs took the initiative from the opening whistle and were rewarded when Josta Dladla made it 1-0 after 10 minutes when he latched onto Abia Nale’s defence splitting though ball and fired his shot into the far corner giving keeper Josephs no chance.
Josephs kept the Buccaneers in the game with two breathtaking saves from a rocket from Knowledge Musona and a powerful Mandla Masango strike in the 13th and 20th minutes respectively.
Josephs did well on both occasions as Chiefs threatened to overrun the shell shocked Bucs. Then Pirates captain Lehlohonolo Seema was wide awake to head away cross from Musona as Lawrence Molekwane rose to head home the cross from close range on 29 minutes.
But from the breakaway Chiefs were caught flat footed and live wire Dikgang Mabalane found Malawian international midfielder Josephy Kamwendo who beat keeper Itumeleng Khune with a sweet shot to make it 1-1 against the run of play.
Josephs did well to deny hard working Masango a goal on the stroke of halftime with another fine save.
Amakhosi started well at the start of the second half but it was Bucs newcomer Andile Jali who forced Khune to make a smart save in the 55th minutes as Bucs hit Chiefs on the counter attack. Both coaches made a number of changes to try and find the winner but the second half was a lot closer fought that the first 45 minutes with Bucs putting Chiefs under pressure and enjoying more possession.
Chiefs seemed to lose the drive and rhythm they had in the first period. Josephs was a virtual spectator in the second half.
The one surprise on the Chiefs team sheet was the absence of striker Kaizer Motaung junior who was booed by the fans in Durban on Tuesday night where Amakhosi were beaten 1-0 by City. Motaung junior was not even among the substitutes name by coach Vladimir Vermezovic.
But the Serbian coach said he would be rotating his players. With neither side taking any risks it was no surprise when the match went to the dreaded penalty shootout. It was chaotic outside the stadium before the match and the unhelpful traffic officials made a bad sitiation into a circus.
One can understand why the 2010 Local Organising Committee and Fifa were reluctant to use this venue for last month’s Confederations Cup. Fifa and the LOC are going to have to come to the Windy City and show the locals how it is done with major soccer matches otherwise PE should forget about hosting any World Cup matches in 2010.
But the new stadium itself is fantastic and inside it is world class. However, the pitch gets a black mark as it was bumpy and below Fifa standards.
source: http://www.thetimes.co.za/
+ comments + 4 comments
Askies pirates ne, askies mta ka mha. Mina chiefs sorry ne. Amathambo avuthile, kru kru kru. sondelani sizo pheka amathambo. khamisa phela bucaneer naka amachips. ya wena thanda amachips, remember amachips is very hot at the moment, try wena i sunflopers good magwinya. These phefeni fries goes well with bob stick.
Sunapapa
Mbooi has gotten himself in the thick of things. First he lied and now he wants us to believe him, forgive him, let him go where he wants to go and we must act like nothing happened. His also brough into derepute Jomo, Andrew, Jomo Cosmos FC, Dynamos FC, Pat Malabela, Bobby Motaung, Kaizer Chiefs FC, PSL, SAFA, CAF AND FIFA into desrepute. President Blatter is South African resident and this is the type of nonsens Mbooi wants him feeding eah time he sees news papers. No Mboii we are not going to let you do us down like that.
You lied and lied again so how are we to trust you. You still have not told the whole truth. You must tell us who has been coaching you to suddenly want to come "open". I smell Malabela no doubt but he will remain innocent unless proven guilty. You take this league like it's majubjub and makipkip. Well now you have ended your career before you even started. You left the country side and went into the city but the country side never got out of you. How in hell you think your lie will pass the metropolis radar. Jomo gre up in orlando back in the day of jungle, okapi and panga yet he survived by doing the right thing making an honest living selling apples and peanuts. Now you smelling like mad cow disease wants to fool these old madalas. You are defenately going back kalvoet. How can you commit a crime, then pass own sentence "case dismissed" and pretent your are sorry, yes you look sorry boy. So you are telling me in your school work you submitted the same homework in every class, just had teachers signing diffarent part of the same page? You must go to cosmos sit on the bench untill contract expires with no pay and no training and then banned for life with whoever been doing this with you. What kind of a role model are you?
I would not want to see you at the stadium, you might lie again. Aliar and a thief are same pair of gloves. You were supposed to be developing but you are doing the opposite. No matter how hard the elders try to clean the league and rehabilitate some, some are determined to wrack the ship anyway. This boy need to be locked in a Zimbabwe C cell section. They get half a slice of bread every three months with ahlf tispoon of hot water.
Mzamani Azwindini
Thsiviliduli
well done to kaizer thieves, you did us proud by stilling that deserved one goal. seems like you are fired up, this is becoming the chiefs we know and may your brand keep growing. enough of bringing these teams on our shores and give them fuul house. we need to go play in their backyards too, iam sure they got toys too. why must they keep playing at our home and with our toys. imagine playing a derby in scotland that would be wonderful as much as it for them playing at nelson mandela stadium. But before we go to scoland, chiefs has already played iran. lets play cameroon and nigeria next time. they are a little older but we can learn to hold our own against our own brothers. sundowns must pull their socks if we are going to be a pack. swallows seems like they are going back to be the team we now and its high time. jomo needs to reinvent south african soccer. I am talking the style of play, jomo can lead the way and will enter spain, brazil and turn chinas table even in bundas league.
the game is getting more beautiful by day, where are movie makers? this will be a record first time sold out.
Nice Intresting aka Excited
Go Cheese bo go and do not even think of comimng back. no this is the naked truesgod. it was reported before that some people were taking some money under the table to make sure Cheeseboy goes to koerkop. The people at the top did their investigation and have been tight lipped since and now the boy is going. my question who is this element doing inside job. his done it as we can see and i have no doubt that if this savage is not hauled out of the ship will do it again or drawn the whole ship. we developed this boy when he was no name and today he wants to jump ship. common sesnse tells me that Mabizela, Zuma, Vilakazi have not done well when they went to mentaly challenged kalafong hospital team. perhaps Cheeseboy will prove us wrong. one thing for sure Pirates his been consistent on the principle "no one is bigger than Pirates" and to this day no one has proved this principle wrong. when the ship is sailing in trouble waters it is no time to jump ship. well i wish you the best and hope you take your school work seriously. soccer career has no guarantee it can end any day. how can you quit a team that has a trophy that the whole country does not have and are no way close of having that cup. Hope Duku Duku make up his mind too so we can get all of this over. one thing for sure south africa has many kids who can kick the ball and will bring them. people jumping ship is not going to end life. I hope Cheese boy had a chance of talking to Steve Lekoelea before ditching us like this. i knew something was not right with this boy each time i looked at his face. the truth has now come to the public that this boy is a judas. maybe he should have gone to cosmos who usually are not an old age home and make his way to Europe and bring us back more exposure.
Therefore he is no longer Cheeseboy as we affectionately called him.He left all the cheese in the world at orlando pirates jersey queen cows. He will now be called "beef jerjy" or just plain "biltong"
Nduku Lebanta