Kaizer Chiefs’ journey in the CAF Confederation Cup ended in heartbreak after they lost 3–2 on penalties to Zambian outfit Red Arrows FC following a tense second-leg encounter at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday night.
The Soweto giants levelled the tie 1–1 on aggregate through a 66th-minute goal by Bradley Cross, which secured a 1–0 win on the night and ultimately forced the match into a penalty shootout.
FARPost looks at the four talking points from this clash between Amakhosi and Red Arrows.
1. KAIZER CHIEFS MADE FIVE CHANGES
Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz opted to shuffle his starting eleven for the decisive second-leg encounter, making five changes to the squad that featured in the first-leg in Ndola, Zambia.
In goal, Bruce Bvuma was handed the gloves ahead of Brandon Petersen, who was on the bench. In defence, Thulani Mabaso replaced Thabiso Monyane, while Pule Mmodi came in for Paseka Mako. Further up front, Faiz Abrahams was preferred over youngster Mfundo Vilakazi, while Wandile Duba led the attack in place of Luke Baartman.
2. WHY RENALDO LEANER MISSED OUT
The Glamour Boys were forced to navigate the crucial fixture without shot-stopper Renaldo Leaner.
The former Sekhukhune United goalkeeper, who started the first leg, was ruled out of the clash after sustaining an injury during the final training session on the eve of the match.
3. BOOST FOR CHIEFS AS PETERSEN AND MABOE RETURN TO MATCHDAY SQUAD
Despite Leaner’s absence, Chiefs received a timely double boost on the bench with the return of Petersen and Lebohang Maboe to the matchday squad.
Petersen returned after recovering from a medial collateral ligament [MCL] injury to his left knee, sustained last month, which kept the 31-year-old goalkeeper on the sidelines for about four weeks.
Maboe also made his comeback after recovering from an ankle injury picked up against Golden Arrows in September — a setback that had previously forced him to withdraw from Bafana Bafana duty during the last FIFA international break.
4. WHAT CHIEFS NEEDED TO PROGRESS TO GROUP STAGES
Heading into the second leg, the equation for Chiefs was clear: they needed a victory by two or more goals [such as 2-0 or 3-1] to overturn the first-leg deficit and secure direct passage to the CAF Confederation Cup group stages.
However, Chiefs managed a 1-0 win, levelling the aggregate score at 1-1 and forcing the tie into a penalty shootout.
However, the Soweto giants failed to secure a positive result in the penalty shootout and were ultimately eliminated from the continental competition.
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