Kaizer Chiefs claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over AmaZulu FC in the Betway Premiership at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon, with Makabi Lilepo emerging as the hero.
The Naturena-based side defeated Arthur Zwane’s charges with a goal from Glody Lilepo to take their tally to 54 points in 29 matches, as they are sitting comfortably in the third position.
Chiefs travelled to Durban to face AmaZulu high in confidence, having already sealed a CAF Confederation Cup qualification last weekend with a 2-0 victory over Sekhukhune United.
For Chiefs, the results of their remaining two matches will have no impact on their standing on the log, as they are third and, mathematically, they can’t move up or down the table.
With little pressure for the Glamour Boys, the co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze handed rare starts in the line-up to Ethan Chislett and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo.
The match got off to a positive start with both teams having a go at each other in the opening minutes. AmaZulu had a first shot on target from a corner kick after Sandile Mthethwa’s header fell into the path of Chiefs goalie Brandon Petersen.
The tempo of the match dropped drastically with both teams failing to string together good passes and create goal-scoring opportunities. As a result, the match went into the half-time break with the score level at 0-0.
KAIZER CHIEFS INFLICT PAIN ON AMAZULU
In the second half, the match continued to lack a creative spark, prompting Chiefs to make changes after bringing in Tashreeq Morris and Paseka Mako in place of Bradley Cross and Flavio Silva.
In the 68th minute, Chiefs eventually broke the deadlock with a strike from Glody Lilepo, giving the away side the lead heading towards the end of the match.
Shortly after scoring the opening goal, Lilepo received a red card after getting two yellow cards in the match. But despite playing with 10 men, the Soweto giants went on to control the game and held on to their lead, walking away with three points in the penultimate round of the 2025/26 season.
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