Wandile Duba was the star of the show as Kaizer Chiefs secured a convincing 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy to book their spot in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-finals at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night.
FARPost looks at the key five talking points from this entertaining encounter.
1. BRANDON PETERSEN AND LEBOHANG MABOE RETURN TO CHIEFS XI
Coach Fernando da Cruz opted to start Brandon Petersen and Lebohang Maboe after the duo recovered from their respective injury layoffs.
Petersen returned to the starting lineup after a month on the sidelines due to a medial collateral ligament [MCL] injury to his left knee. The 31-year-old shot-stopper replaced Bruce Bvuma in goal and captained the team.
Meanwhile, Maboe made his comeback after recovering from an ankle injury sustained against Golden Arrows in September—an injury that had previously forced him to withdraw from Bafana Bafana duty during the last FIFA international break. He replaced Thulani Mabaso in the starting XI.
2. RUSHWIN DORTLEY MAKES FIRST START AFTER LONG-TERM INJURY
Amakhosi defender Rushwin Dortley made his long-awaited return to competitive action, making his first start for the club in over a year.
The 24-year-old centre-back had been sidelined for approximately 18 months following a severe knee injury that required surgery, having last featured on 1 March 2025. Dortley stepped into the starting line-up in place of Inacio Miguel.
3. BRADLEY CROSS AND FAIZ ABRAHAMS DROPPED TO THE BENCH
The Glamour Boys made tactical tweaks to their backline and attack following their previous outing.
Defender Bradley Cross, who scored last Friday against Red Arrows in the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round second-leg tie, started on the bench as Paseka Mako took his place. In addition, Faiz Abrahams dropped out of the starting XI to make way for Mfundo Vilakazi.
4. EARLY INJURY BLOW FOR TS GALAXY
TS Galaxy were forced into an early substitution in the first half when Mlondi Mncwango picked up an injury and could not continue. He was substituted off in the 21st minute, with Veluyeke Zulu coming on to replace him.
5. WANDILE DUBA NETS BRILLIANT HAT-TRICK
Duba put in a stellar performance to guide the Soweto giants into the last eight of the tournament.
The 22-year-old frontman opened the scoring in the 49th minute with a neat finish to break the deadlock early in the second period. He doubled Amakhosi’s lead in the 62nd minute before completing his hat-trick just four minutes later in the 66th minute to seal an emphatic 3-0 victory for Fernando da Cruz’s side.
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