Chiefs force late draw in Confederation Cup against Zamalek

Kaizer Chiefs and Zamalek. Picture courtesy of Zamalek/X

Kaizer Chiefs snatched a crucial point in the CAF Confederation Cup group stages on Saturday, forcing a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Egyptian giants Zamalek SC at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

Zamalek scored an early goal in the opening five minutes of the match through Seifeddine Jaziri, while Chiefs found an equaliser in the dying minutes through defender Dillan Solomons.

The Glamour Boys welcomed Zamalek in Polokwane, seeking redemption after opening the group stages with a 2-1 defeat against another Egyptian side, Al Masry, last weekend away from home.

The CAF Confederation Cup fixture saw Kaizer Chiefs host Zamalek at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium rather than their usual home, FNB Stadium. Furthermore, the match date was adjusted from the initial November 30 to November 29. This schedule change was granted following a request from the Egyptian Premier League side, which sought to give their national team players adequate preparation time ahead of Egypt’s match against the UAE on December 6, 2025.

ZAMALEK BROKE THE DEADLOCK IN THE THIRD MINUTE

Chiefs qualified for the Confederation Cup group stage after overcoming Kabuscorp SCP and AS Simba in the preliminary rounds. The match between Chiefs and Zamalek got off to a flying start after the away side went in search of an early goal.

Zamalek and Kaizer Chiefs. Picture courtesy of Zamalek/X

Zamalek found the back of the net in the third minute after Jaziri converted a low shot after Chiefs could not clear their lines. A few minutes later, Gaston Sirino came close to netting the equaliser with a shot from the halfway mark; however, his strike hit the upright.

Before the 20th minute, Chiefs made two forced substitutions with Paseka Mako coming on for Bradley Cross, while Sirino went off, and Mfundo Vilakazi came on in his place.

After going to the half-time break trailing 1-0, Amakhosi pushed for the equalising goal in the second half, but they struggled to create meaningful chances and trouble the opponents in defence.

But in the dying minutes, Chiefs forced a hard-fought draw after Dillan Solomons scored a late goal in the 94th minute as the Soweto giants avoided a second successive defeat in the group stages.