Arrows Spoil Chiefs' Party

28 September 2011

ABSA Premiership

Date: 28 September 2011

Result: Kaizer Chiefs 1-2 Golden Arrows

Venue: Peter Mokaba Stadium

Referee: Robert Sithole

A fired-up Golden Arrows held on to record a shock 2-1 win over hosts Kaizer Chiefs at the Peter Mokaba Stadium this evening, surviving a botched penalty along the way.

With the disparity in league standings, one would have expected Chiefs to come out on the attack but instead, things got to a very quiet start with neither team able to orchestrate anything substantial in the first ten minutes.

The visitors stunned the crowd at the Peter Mokaba Stadium into silence when Collins Mbesuma struck in the 14th minute, when Itumeleng's parry from a stinging Dillon Sheppard strike fell kindly and he was able to toe-poke into the back of the net. The Zambian is not the player he was at Chiefs but he has proven time and again that he has a keen eye for goal.

Abafana be'sthende must have been watching AmaZulu's 4-0 demolition job on Ajax Cape Town last night because they looked more pumped up than they have all season. They pushed Chiefs back on their heels with the momentum firmly in the KZN side's favour.

They soon had a second to show for their efforts with Sheppard involved again. The Durban-born midfielder's corner was met by Musa Bilankulu with a glancing header in the 27th minute and Chiefs were looking down the barrel.

The Amakhosi were shell-shocked and apart from a couple of Lehlohonolo Majoro strikes from distance, they could muster precious little offence to counter the Arrows juggernaut. Jabulani Nene's yellow card in the 40th minute put a slight dampener on the visitors' spirits and a Thomas Sweswe header could have pulled one back close to half-time but Arrows went into the interval in the ascendancy.

George Lebese came on for the ineffective Josta Dladla at the start of the second-half and had an immediate impact. With Chiefs pressing forward in numbers, Jimmy Jambo floated in a teasing cross for the young forward, who sent the ball rocketing into the top left-hand corner of the net in the 52nd minute and inject new vigour into his teammates.

Arrows responded with another Bilankulu header but he couldn't find a way past Khune. The visitors picked up two yellows in quick succession as they looked to subdue a rampaging Chiefs team. Majoro also went into the referee's book for pulling Jacob Musonda's jersey and he was substituted for Sthembiso Ngcobo.

Both teams committed numbers forward but were unable to find the finishes to match their slick passing movements. The hail of yellow cards continued unabated however with Jimmy Tau joining the yellow card brigade.

With a minute left on the clock, Chiefs looked to have been handed a lifeline when referee Robert Sithole pointed to the spot, adjudging Arrows skipper Khuboni to have handled in the area. Lebese was given the responsibility and the substitute wilted under the pressure, sending his spot-kick out to the left of Helton De La Rocha's goal.

Arrows hung on through injury time to break Chiefs' unbeaten home record and seal a great couple of days for the Durban teams.

Kaizer Chiefs: Khune, Mashamaite, Tau, Jambo, Sweswe, Letsholonyane, Nengomashe, Dladla (Lebese 46'), Tshabalala, Parker (Baloyi 77'), Majoro (Ngcobo 62')

Golden Arrows: Da Rocha, Musonda, Bilankulu, Johannes, Tom, Nkosi(Gabuza 67'), Nene, Shange (Mkhize 58'), Sheppard, Khuboni, Mbesuma (Mashego 85')

Goals: Collins Mbesuma 14', Musa Bilankulu 27' (Arrows), Lebese 52' (Chiefs)

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