Siwelele FC stunned a sloppy Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 in the Betway Premiership at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Wednesday night, significantly boosting their top-eight aspirations.
Amakhosi conceded two first-half goals against Siwelele, courtesy of their former player Tebogo Potsane and the young Sphesihle Jeza, to collect crucial three points.
Chiefs visited Siwelele, looking to return to winning ways after playing back-to-back draws in their last two league encounters against arch rivals Orlando Pirates and Polokwane City FC.
The Glamour Boys played to a 1-1 draw against Pirates in the Soweto Derby at FNB Stadium this past Sunday, denting the Buccaneers’ ambitions of winning the league title.
Before sharing the spoils with Pirates, Chiefs were held to a frustrating draw by Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium over a week ago. Despite failing to collect maximum points in their last two games, Chiefs were heading into the match unbeaten in their last seven outings, having won five successive Premiership games.
Against Siwelele, Chiefs had their backs against the wall early in the first half as the home side pushed for an opening goal to calm the nerves. Sphesihle Jeza scored early for Siwelele; however, it was flagged offside, giving the Soweto giants a momentary sigh of relief.
The Bloemfontein-based side eventually broke the deadlock in the seventh minute through Potsane, who pounced on a rebound off goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.
SPHESIHLE JEZA NETS HIS FIRST TOP-FLIGHT GOAL AGAINST CHIEFS
A few minutes later, Jeza doubled the lead for Siwelele, beating Chiefs on a counter-attack after winning the ball in his own half. The 20-year-old, who came through the club’s DStv Diski Challenge side, scored his first-ever top-flight goal after gaining promotion to the senior team in the current campaign.
After an eventful first half, Siwelele went into the interval leading 2-0 with Chiefs having a mountain to climb as they sought to overturn the scoreline and walk away with maximum points in the second stanza.
In the second half, Chiefs co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef made substitutions, bringing on the likes of Mfundo Vilakazi and Flavio Silva as an attempt to find a way back into the game.
However, while the Naturena-based side pushed to avoid defeat, Siwelele stood firm in defence to claim a 2-0 victory at home. The win saw Lehlohonolo Seema’s charges move to ninth position on the log with 32 points, while Chiefs remained in third with 47 points from 26 games.
RELATED STORY: What Sead Ramovic demands from Sphesihle Maduna