Chiefs pick up a point against AmaZulu to squeeze back into eighth place

Kaizer Chiefs could not earn the three points they needed to make their ambitions of a top eight DStv Premiership finish more comfortable, having to settle for a 1-1 draw against AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday.

Chiefs would have been frustrated that in a first half, where they edged play, struck the post and created openings, Ashley du Preez’s second-minute opener was cancelled out by a strike by AmaZulu's Victor Letsoalo (39th) that seemed to come from an offside position.

Cavin Johnson’s men could not find the same dominance against Pablo Franco Martin’s industrious if unspectacular Usuthu in the second half, though still had chances to win it, with the Durban team’s captain, goalkeeper and man-of-the-match Veli Mothwa, as he had in the first half, standing in their way.

Chiefs moved up a place from ninth to eighth position but their grip on a place in the top half remains fragile. AmaZulu remained in 12th place.

Chiefs need positive results in their last two games against Polokwane City at FNB Stadium on Saturday and Cape Town Spurs at Athlone Stadium on May 25 to avoid the ignominy of a second finish outside the top eight within a decade, the last having come in 2018-19.

A sloppy defensive error allowed Chiefs an early opener. Celimphilo Ngema recklessly attempted to find centreback Taariq Fielies with a pass across the face of goal, allowing Du Preez to steam in and intercept, running through and easily finishing past Mothwa.

Mduduzi Shabalala’s skills and running from Chiefs’ left were a thorn to Usuthu.

Just past the half-hour the junior international made ground on the left, cut onto his right foot and drove dangerously a foot over the top-right corner.

Moments later Shabalala received a pass in the middle just outside the box, beat Fielies and struck crisply onto the left upright via Mothwa’s touch.

A good strike by Du Preez was also pushed round the left upright by Mothwa.

Given Amakhosi had edged proceedings they would have been frustrated to concede an equaliser as the clock wound down to the break, and that the officiating went against them to help Usuthu go to the change rooms with the score level.

Augustine Mulenga’s chip in from the left corner of the area found Letsoalo in space to break off the shoulder of central defender Thatayaone Ditlhokwe and head past Bvuma. TV replays showed Letsoalo offside at the time of the pass.

On the hour, Johnson, looking to spark something after the two sides came out evenly matched, introduced Edson Castillo for Shabalala and Christian Saile for Ranga Chivaviro.

Former Chiefs midfielder Pule Ekstein, lively in central midfield for AmaZulu, made space for himself on the edge of the area and struck to force a stop from Bvuma.

At the other end Saile forced a save off the knee of Mothwa.

It was not Chiefs’ night, and that was reinforced when Siyethemba Sithebe allowed a ball in the box to run to Du Preez just behind him, who smacked what might have been a goal on another occasion, instead Mothwa pulling off the save. Usuthu’s keeper also kept out Saile’s follow-up from a tight angle from the rebound.