While they had some moments when they got their passionate supporters on their feet, particularly in the second half when they played much more purposefully and dominated their adversaries, Cavin Johnson’s men still resembled a bird without a song.
THERE once was a time when such narrow victories over such lowly opposition were lamented at Kaizer Chiefs. But such is how the mighty have fallen that this win, which was achieved more courtesy of the heroics of goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma than the Glamour Boys’ attacking prowess, was celebrated with gusto by not only the Amakhosi faithful but the team itself.
Coach Cavin Johnson and his technical team exchanged high fives and hugs with such gusto before the coach pumped up his fists towards the fans as though they’d just won a championship at the final whistle.
This though is not the Chiefs that used to so dominate local football that the rest of the league were content to avoid a thorough pasting by the team formed by the great Kaizer Motaung. Without a championship victory in close to 10 seasons now, Chiefs are a former shadow of themselves.
And while they had some moments when they got their passionate supporters on their feet, particularly in the second half when they played much more purposefully and dominated their adversaries, Cavin Johnson’s men still resembled a bird without a song.
Full time score: Polokwane City FC 0 : 1 Kaizer Chiefs (Mmodi 51’)
DStv Man of the Match: Pule Mmodi#Amakhosi4Life #DStvPrem #Khosified pic.twitter.com/r3YCG1akgr
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) December 9, 2023
They played in patches, hardly produced an enterprising co-ordinated attacking move, and sometimes looked vulnerable in defence against a Polokwane outfit that seemed to be going forward more in hope than with actual intent.
Granted, the goal that Mmodi scored to win the match was a good one, the forward making a brilliant short run on the left flank and then cutting inside to have two defenders in line standing in front of him. They expected him to keep coming, but instead he took a low shot that the unsighted Manuel Sapunga in the City goal could do nothing about.
But that was just about all she wrote really, with most of Chiefs’ promising attacks fizzling out as the forwards – Christian Saile and Ranga Chivaviro – looked to have left their shooting boots back in Johannesburg.
Mmodi had earlier shot tamely at goal when he had the chance to at least threaten the keeper on 12 minutes.
And then, just before the half hour mark, Christian Saile found himself free on goal, but he too opted to pass the ball to the grateful Sapunga in pink colours.
Instead it was Bvuma in the goals who impressed, the goalkeeper showing just how eager he is to take the opportunity to become the number one with a compelling brace of assured performances.
He made a fantastic save on the quarter-hour mark to fist over a Douglas Mapfumo header from point blank, and later in the match – on 77 minutes – he dived to his left to push away an Oswin Appollis grass-cutter.
City could have scored in the first half from that corner, Chiefs conceded from the brilliant Bvuma save, but Thabang Matuludi blasted his gutsy bicycle kick against the crossbar.
In this game though it is victories that count, and Chiefs were the victors this time around and the celebrations were understandable. After all, don’t they say there is no room for comments in the results column?
That might well be, but for a club with Chiefs’ history and pedigree there needs to be a lot of improvement if they are to regain their standing as the country’s football Glamour Boys.
And it is not through such hard-fought, eked out victories that they are going to do that.
