Away goal favours Chiefs in second leg

With just 10 minutes played, this MTN8 semifinal first-leg encounter between Bloemfontein Celtic and Kaizer Chiefs yesterday was already better than the mud-bath clash between Ajax Cape Town and Bidvest Wits on Saturday.

The Saturday's first-leg tie in Stellenbosch also ended in a 1-all draw. Maybe it was the sold-out crowd that added some effects, but some will want to believe the two stunning goals, forcing the match to end in a 1-1 draw, had a lot to do with it.

It was a game of "bullets" - to quote a supporter who was clearly getting his money's worth at yesterday match.

Not the kind of bullets we are all used to, but long-range crackers that left Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and his Celtic counterpart Patrick Tignyemb well and truly beaten. Amakhosi had all the possession and even more chances, but Helder Pelembe broke the deadlock with a pile-driver that beat Khune from about 30 metres out.

The visitors were still in the driving seat despite their shaky defence that really should have been punished. The hosts' own back-four had been under pressure for some time, but were able to contain the opposition until Bernard Parker equalised shortly after the hour mark.

Parker should have put his name on the score sheet much earlier when - on the stroke of half-time - Celtic captain and defender Bevan Fransman gave away a silly foul by pulling striker Siphelele Mthembu down in the box.

Referee Robert Smith hesitated at first but eventually pointed to the penalty spot to give Chiefs a quick way back into the match. Parker confidently stepped up only to blast his shot over.

Perhaps that was motivation enough for Parker, who stood out for Chiefs in the few minutes that followed, and it was no surprise when he bagged a goal as good, perhaps with more precision, as Pelembe's. Even though the momentum had swayed in Chiefs' favour following Parker's leveler, there is clearly something amiss with the Amakhosi defence.

It was error prone, nervy and unsure at times, especially when Pelembe was in sight.