Linda Moreotsene

Linda Moreotsene

The absence of Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral against Black Leopards on Sunday proved costly, as the second half substitutions they made were ineffective.

Before the match the Chiefs mentor had downplayed the effect his two-match ban would have on the performance of Amakhosi in this Absa Premiership match, saying he did not regard the situation as a "train smash".

But it was clear he had miscalculated, as his team went from being a goal up - courtesy of Siphiwe Tshabalala in the 15th minute - and in control, to chasing shadows and struggling to contain Lidoda Duvha in the second half.

After taking control of the match in the second half and then equalising through Robert Ngambi in the 72nd minute, Leopards did everything they could to return to Limpopo with the three points, but Fisher Kondowe missed several good chances.

First he dispossessed Chiefs' captain Fabian McCarthy, but shot straight at goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, and then with seven minutes left, he shot wide.

Leopards assistant coach Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan was happy with the one point.

"Chiefs is a big team, and although we should have wrapped it up, my players were a bit intimidated. But in the second half we relaxed and enjoyed our normal game," Ramadhan said.

Fani Madida, Chiefs' stand-in coach, blamed the draw on a loss of concentration, and the players for failing to deal with Jabulani Maluleke.

"There was confusion between Tinashe [Nengomasha] and [David] Obua, where they were not sure who should be picking him up," Madida said.

But the Chiefs bench were the ones who kept Kaizer Motaung Jnr on the whole 90 minutes, despite him having an off day. And then Obua came in for Thabo Mooki and gave such a shaky performance that the fans booed him. Ngambi's equaliser in the 72nd minute came from his side.

In the end Chiefs were again kept in the match by Khune, as has been common practise these days.