Richards Bay FC handed Kaizer Chiefs their third successive league defeat after claiming a narrow 1-0 victory in a Betway Premiership clash at a sold-out Umhlathuze Sports Complex on Tuesday night.
The KZN-based outfit collected maximum points in a major upset, with Thulani Gumede netting the solitary goal. The result sees the Natal Rich Boys jump to ninth position on the log with 23 points from 19 matches.
Amakhosi travelled to KZN looking to arrest a worrying slide after losing back-to-back league fixtures. Over the weekend, the Glamour Boys suffered a humiliating 3-0 Soweto Derby defeat against rivals Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium. In that encounter, a disjointed Chiefs defence conceded twice in the first half to Tshepang Moremi and Oswin Appollis, before Evidence Makgopa added a third to send the Buccaneers to the summit of the table.
The slump began with a 3-1 home loss to Stellenbosch FC. When factoring in their CAF Confederation Cup exit against Zamalek SC, the Naturena-based side is now winless in their last four outings across all competitions.
Searching for a response, co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef shuffled the pack, handing a debut to Nkanyiso Shinga, who joined the club in July 2025. Both sides started at a high tempo, but while Richards Bay created several early openings, they initially proved wasteful in the final third.
CHIEFS FAIL TO TROUBLE RICHARDS BAY
Chiefs’ best scoring opportunity fell to Aden McCarthy, whose header from a set-piece flashed inches wide of the target. Despite the intensity from both teams, the match went into the interval deadlocked at 0-0.
The second half remained cagey, with clear-cut chances at a premium. In an attempt to spark life into the attack, the Chiefs technical team introduced Mduduzi Shabalala and Makabi Lilepo in place of Gastón Sirino and Ethan Chislett.
However, it was Richards Bay who broke the deadlock in the 69th minute. Thulani Gumede capitalised on a swift counter-attack and a defensive lapse from the visitors to slot home. The hosts then showed great discipline to hold onto their lead, compounding Chiefs’ misery in front of a capacity crowd.
In other Tuesday night action, Orbit College FC secured a 2-1 win over TS Galaxy, while Stellenbosch FC and Siwelele FC played out to a goalless draw.
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