Johannesburg — Kaizer Chiefs chances of playing in the Caf Champions League next season are hanging by a thread after they drew 1-1 with Marumo Gallants in the Premiership on Saturday night.
After fellow second place chasing teams SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates won on the weekend, the baton was passed on to Chiefs..
So all that was left was for Chiefs to rack up their win late on Saturday to heat up the pressure for the No 2 spot, instead they dropped two crucial points at home.
That was to Amakhosi’s own doings having led against a Gallants team that’s stuck in the doldrum of relegation fight despite qualifying for the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-final.
Gallants, moreover, hung on for the crucial point to leapfrog Maritzburg United to 15th on the log standings, easing the pressure that’s been on the club of late after the capture of their officials in Libya.
Having won five games on the bounce, Chiefs were the favourites as they were eyeing their sixth victory in succession,
And resplendent in a silk black and white tie-less suit, Zwane personified a pastor that was ready to lead his congregation to the promised land on Easter weekend. But that wasn’t to be.
There was a false bright start to Zwane’s sermon, though, as his troops found the lead as early as the sixth minute courtesy of Ashley Du Preez’s second goal in as many matches.
Against the run of play, the returning Yusuf Maart, for Siyethemba Sithebe in the starting line, exposed a pocket of space inches away from the centre-line, releasing Du Preez.
The pacy striker got on his bike, leaving Gallants’ defence with dust, before he delayed his pass in the box and picked up his spot to slot past goalkeeper Washington Arubi.
Chiefs should have doubled their tally thereafter as they sent a wave of attack after the other. But Du Preez missed two sitters, including a back-pass from Tshepo Gumede.
And that came back to haunt them, starting with the supporters being on Brandon Petersen case as the Chiefs’ No 1 looked uncomfortable whenever he started building from the back.
Gallants capitalised from that shaky defence as Edmilson Dove cushioned a loose ball which ran towards his own goal while Petersen left his line to commit as well.
However, by the time Dove told Petersen to move back, he slipped resulting in Ranga Chivaviro stealing the ball under his nose before his race to the byline to slot into an empty net from an acute angle.
Granted the two sides went into the break deadlocked on 1-all, but Chiefs were unlucky not to be ahead as Arubi fisted away a Maart thunderbolt on the stroke of half-time.
Chiefs started the second half on a high note. So much so that they should have made up for the earlier misses in the second half had they made their opportunities count.
Mduduzi Shabalala had a clear-cut chance at goal after being teed by Saile, but the youngster delayed in picking up his spot as Gallants defence regrouped to clear away the danger.
From thereon, Siyabonga Ngezana blasted his header from a corner-kick, while Saile, who had threatened with his pace, put a close-range acrobatic shot over the crossbar.
IOL Sport