Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye says the side’s goalkeeper Brandon Petersen deserved the Man of the Match accolade in the 1-1 league draw with Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday.
Petersen made some important saves at Loftus Stadium to deny 10-men Sundowns maximum points in a game they needed to win to have their title chasing fate in their hands.
The Brazilians remained in top spot with 65 points in 28 matches, three points from Orlando Pirates in second place and with a game in game, while Amakhosi maintained third position with 48 points also from 27 outings.
While Thabiso Monyane received the official Man of the Match award, Khanye said Petersen made a big difference in the game.
“My man of the match is goalkeeper Brandon Petersen,” said Khanye on iDiski TV.
“Football is a game of opinions but for me it’s Petersen. I also want to complement other players along with Petersen, Given Msimango, Aden McCarthy, Thabiso Monyane and [Bradley] Cross.
“I didn’t think attacking players really came to the party.”
Khanye added that the 31-year-old shot-stopper deserves a shot in the senior national team, however, the former South African junior international understands why it may be difficult for the Amakhosi captain to get a call-up now.
“Chiefs did very well to not concede an early goal and maintained Sundowns for 45 minutes, they [had] Petersen who’s helping them concede less,” added Khanye.
“Honestly speaking, if I was Hugo Broos I’d give him a chance. The thing with the likes of [Ricardo] Goss is that there was a build-up in their call-up so it might be difficult to drop him.
“But I’m saying I’d give Petersen a chance in friendly games. The guy did very well, we have to be honest. That ball he saved in the dying minutes would have been a goal but he put his body on the line.
“He saved Chiefs today because Sundowns didn’t even look like they were a man down.”
You can view Khanye’s full analysis of the Betway Premiership match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs on IDiski TV official YouTube channel.
