For some time it looked like Kaizer Chiefs would stroll to victory here, having scored two goals inside the opening 30 minutes.
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The score line suggests this win was easy, but Amakhosi worked for it, and the fans that braved the chilly weather to be at this venue will tell you that much.
Golden Arrows, the visitors who arrived with an impressive winning streak against the Premier Soccer League’s top clubs this season – among them Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates – looked timid and there for the taking, until they put up a bit of a fight in the second half even though they were reduced to 10-men when midfielder Gladwin Shitolo was red carded in the 48th minute.
George Lebese helped Amakhosi draw first blood when he converted a penalty as early as the sixth minute following a foul in the box by defender Matome Mathiane on striker Edward Manqele. Then, not long after Chiefs had broken the deadlock, Lebese found another goal that had a good number of fans hopeful of a routine victory.
Arrows were struggling and, despite Chiefs coach Steve Komphela having changed his line-up after their 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Pirates at the weekend, found it tough in the first half to match their counterparts.
Shitolo’s sending off, for a mistimed and clumsy challenge on Lucky Baloyi, seemed to spur Arrows on. Shortly after the numerical disadvantage, right back Siyabonga Dube pulled one back for coach Serame Letsoaka’s men, beating goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune at the near post.
It wasn’t too clear why Komphela had sent out a different team to the one that suffered the heavy defeat to Pirates at the weekend.
Whether he had rested Siboniso Gaxa, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, captain Siphiwe Tshabalala and Camaldine Abraw with one eye on another Soweto derby – this time in the Telkom Knockout semifinal this weekend – or because they were so poor in the club’s previous match was not made public in the build-up to this encounter.
But it worked. Bernard Parker put the game beyond doubt when he bagged a third for Chiefs later on in the match, making sure that Komphela’s men take all three points on offer and move to third place on the Absa Premiership standings.
This means the coach, probably under fire because of a high number of draws despite just one defeat in the league so far this season, gets a reprieve. It is some much needed breathing space for Komphela, with Chiefs having recently struggled to win the games that appear the more important – like the Soweto derby and the MTN8 final against Ajax Cape Town two months ago in Port Elizabeth.
Arrows on the other hand would have known that facing Chiefs would have been an extremely uphill battle. Letsoaka had admitted earlier in the week that his men would find it hard to break down Chiefs. They played in patches, but the red card obviously dealt them a massive blow. Arrows, however, remain in the Top 8. - The Star
Source: iol.co.za
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