Kaizer Chiefs and Royal AM shared the spoils after a 0-0 draw in the DStv Premiership clash at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The notable man in the Kaizer Chiefs team sheet was Mfundo Vilakazi, who recently earned a promotion to the first team. The starlet started on the bench but was not given minutes on the day.
Just prior to the match, there was an off-field drama with the police catching a suspect selling fake tickets in the stadium. However, they didn’t have sufficient evidence to lock him in.
And in what was a return to action after a long break of the mid-season, it was a quick start for both teams as they were looking to begin the second round on a high. Royal AM seemed to be on the front foot with possession and kept on knocking on the visitors’ door.
In the 16th minute, Bruce Bvuma was called into action when Thabo Matlaba cut inside and took a thunderous shot. Chiefs’ shot-stopper stopped the attempt to force a corner-kick that was later cleared well by the away side.
In the 25th minute, Chiefs had a glorious chance to open the scoring when Reeve Frosler located Ashley Du Preez with a long pass, the former Stellenbosch FC man went one-on-one with Hugo Nyame after driving forward but he failed to hit the target with his chip.
In the 40th minute, Khulekani Shezi’s header came close to beating Bvuma who had no chance to reach the ball.
While Amakhosi continued to struggle to find rhythm in the game, Thwihli Thwahla had some exciting moments up front as they were seeking an opener.
TWO FANTASTIC SAVES BY HUGO NYAME
On the stroke of half-time, Nyame made two fantastic saves to keep the score at 0-0 as the referee thereafter blew the whistle to end the first 45 minutes.
Early in the second stanza, the Soweto giants had another massive opportunity to upset the home crowd when Du Preez laid the ball for Christian Saile in the box. The DR Congo striker ballooned the ball over the bar.
In the 61st minute, Du Preez burst into the box alone after getting behind Royal AM’s defence. However, Nyame came out quickly and managed to take the ball off his toes.
Moments later, Cavin Johnson made his first attack-minded change, taking off Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and bringing on Keagan Dolly.
Amakhosi started to play more in the half of the home side despite struggling to dismantle a defence. The two sides ended up sharing points at the end of the second-round opener.
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