Kaizer Chiefs jump up the PSL but still have captaincy crisis
Kaizer Chiefs cruised pass Richards Bay in their first match following the international break. They hop up to sixth on the log.
Ten-men Kaizer Chiefs prevailed past a woeful Richards Bay.
An inch-perfect pass by captain Yusuf Maart into the box opened it up for Wandile Duba to head the ball home, putting AmaKhosi one up in the twenty-first minute.
It all looked under control for Nasreddine Nabi’s side, but a forty-eight-minute Reeve Frosler red card soon unravelled that, putting the hosts one man down with most of the second half yet to be played – twenty minutes later, Ashley Du Preez provided the cushion, extending Kaizer Chiefs’ lead.
Richards Bay managed a consolation goal in stoppage time through striker Yanela Mbuthum, but the KwaZulu-Natal outfit left little time on the clock to add another, ending the game 2-1.
The welcomed three points elevated Chiefs to sixth on the log, three points behind third-place Polokwane City with two games in hand.
Captain comes to the rescue
Having started on the bench several times this season, and often the first to be substituted, Maart’s captaincy role at Kaizer Chiefs has been challenged; but he had the last laugh, providing one of the balls of the season for Duba’s goal.
It was arguably Maarts best game of the season following a dip in form, solidifying his status as club captain, however, it was only one game – the 29-year-old midfielder has struggled, in recent times, to make an impact on the pitch on a consistent basis, prompting a public distrust surrounding his armband duties.
Nabi’s words after the game
”Very happy with the players that started today, especially Ashley – he leaves here with more confidence going forward. Ox, unbelievable performance, Mmodi he did his job very well and we believe that they can do better,” Nabi told SABC Sport.
”It’s true that we would have killed the game, when you don’t kill the game your opponents – you keep them alive. You saw what happened at the end – we were a little bit under pressure, but it is true that it could have been lack of concentration on those very clear opportunities and maybe a lot of over confidence as well. But today we feel we need to congratulate our players because the most difficult thing in football is to create opportunities. We now need to figure out to kill it when you have the opportunity,” added Nabi.
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