Ten-man Kaizer Chiefs held on to secure a slender 1-0 victory over AmaZulu FC in a Betway Premiership clash at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Glody Lilepo, who was sent sent off, is the man who netted the only goal of the match to ensure the visitors left with maximum points.
Chiefs made four changes, introducing Reeve Frosler, Lebogang Maboe, Ethan Chislett, and Mfundo Vilakazi for Thabiso Monyane, Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Gaston Sirino, and Pule Mmodi.
Meanwhile, Arthur Zwane made two, replacing Minenhle Ngcobo and Siyanda Hlangabeza with Keegan Allan and Hendrick Ekstein.
Amakhosi seemed to be on the front foot in the opening exchanges, enjoying the lion’s share of possession, but there was little goalmouth action to show for it. In a rare forward movement, Usuthu came close to opening the scoring, but the in-form Brandon Petersen made a fantastic save to thwart Sandile Mthethwa’s header.
Amakhosi, on the other hand, created a few opportunities, but none were clear-cut enough to break the deadlock.
From there, the game transitioned into a lively, end-to-end battle. While both sides hunted aggressively for a breakthrough before the interval, their respective backlines held firm to keep the scores level.
The match went into the break with the score 0-0 on the board.
Just like in the first half, Chiefs seemed dominate possession in the early stages of the second stanza, looking to string together the forward passing movements needed to unlock the defense.
In the 55th minute, Petersen came to the rescue of Chiefs again, stopping Ekstein’s attempt from close range after a through pass from Athini Maqokola. Moments later, Olwethu Mzimela made a fantastic save for AmaZulu, parrying a curling shot from Frosler over the bar.
Maqokola squandered the biggest chance of the game when he gathered a loose ball and raced clean through on goal, only to drag his shot inches wide. AmaZulu were made to rue that miss just two minutes later; Glody Lilepo latched onto the ball, exchanged passes with Vilakazi, and the DRC striker emphatically rattled the net to put Chiefs ahead.
Lilepo’s joy was short-lived, however, as he was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for removing his shirt during his goal celebration. The DRC striker had already been booked earlier in the match for simulation.
AmaZulu offered very little in response, allowing Chiefs to comfortably see out the match and secure the victory.