Kaizer Motaung Junior doubled his goal tally for the season as he scored a hat trick as The Amakhosi ran riot, in a 6-1 victory over Maritzburg United at their new temporary home at Vodacom Loftus in Tshwane Sunday afternoon.

Motaung took his goal count to six for the season with all three of his goals coming inside the opposition six yard area. Additional strikes from second half substitutes Serge Djiehoua and Gert Schalkwyk, along with a Shaun Bartlett headed goal at the end of regulation time, allowed Chiefs to record their best result under Ernst Middendorp.

Although the score line after ninety minutes was reflective of Chiefs dominance in the game, there was a time in the game when Chiefs had found themselves in an awkward position, this after twenty minutes when Maritzburg United’s Sandile Ndlovu evaded a challenge from Fabian McCarthy on the edge of the Chiefs penalty area and Ndlovu teed up a shot and drilled the ball past Fernandez who had no chance of stopping the ball.

Maritzburg’s joy was short lived as Chiefs were level two minutes later as Siyabonga Nkosi, who had been Chiefs live wire in the midfield, stormed down the right wing and turned in a cross along the ground. The intended recipient of which was Kaizer Motaung Junior, who fought off the Maritzburg United defenders and sent the ball across the line, to bring Chiefs level.

From then onwards there was no looking back for Chiefs as the Amakhosi found their second goal as the first half began to wind down. Captain Fabian McCarthy picked up the loose ball off a corner and played a neat pass to Obua and the Ugandan international lifted his head to see Kaizer Motaung Junior unmarked in the penalty area. He sent in a cross to the Chiefs striker who slotted the ball past a diving Bogunovic to give Chiefs a 2-1 lead.

Maritzburg United, though did have the opportunity to have gone into the break on a level footing and were really unfortunate not to have equalized in the forty second minute when Sandile Ndlovu headed against the Chiefs upright off a Graham King cross with Rowen Fernandez well beaten.

Before it all got worse for Maritzburg, they had one more opportunity to draw level as Sandile Ndlovu made Rowen Fernandez work hard as he unleashed a ferocious shot from a free kick from some distance away. Just after the hour mark and Kaizer Motaung completed his hat trick; the first from a Chiefs player this season, as he bundled the ball over the line after collecting a pass from Ditheko Mototo.

Soon after completing his hat trick Motaung and another of Chiefs star performers on Sunday Siyabonga Nkosi, made way for Serge Djiehoua and Thabo Mooki. Mooki’s entry into the game as a second half substitute saw the Chiefs midfielder equal Neil Tovey’s record of 364 appearances for The Amakhosi.

Mooki and his fellow second half substitute Djiehoua were soon into the action as the former sent in a corner from the left on sixty eight minutes, a mere three minutes after they had come on to the field of play. Djiehoua met Mooki’s headed with deadly precision as he headed home at the near post, to score his first goal for Chiefs since September 2005.

With the game over as a contest, Chiefs were content with holding onto possession and toying around with the opposition, with all their possession and dominance it was inevitable that Chiefs would score more goals.

They duly arrived as The Amakhosi scored two more goals in the last ten minutes of the game, first Gert Schalkwyk popped up to score with a half volley with four minutes left on the clock. This after Shaun Bartlett had played him in with a delicate chip – pass which was lined up perfectly for him, all he needed to do was get it pass the Maritzburg keeper which he did to score Chiefs fifth goal of the game. On the stroke of time David Obua supplied the cross and Shaun Bartlett headed home to score his fifth goal of the season and his fourth in consecutive games.

This is surely a result which would please coach Ernst Middendorp as well as send out a message to all comers that Chiefs are well in the Championship race, after collecting their 13th point from a possible fifteen. With recent league wins against Moroka Swallows, Black Leopards and now Maritzburg United, things are definitely looking up for Chiefs as these were teams who The Amakhosi had initially had tough outings against when Ernst Middendorp took over the reigns of coach at the start of last season.

After Sunday’s emphatic win it looks as though Chiefs have fitted in well into their new albeit temporary home at Loftus, with one more game for 2006 left for Chiefs on Wednesday evening Ernst Middendorp will expect nothing less then victory against Santos as Chiefs round out their fixtures for 2006.

Starting Line Up’s:

Kaizer Chiefs: 1. R. Fernandez, 2. J. Tau, 6. F. McCarthy, 44. S. Mkhonza,

33. D. Mototo (25. Schalkwyk 75 min), 10. S. Nkosi (12. Mooki 65 min), 13. D. Obua, 27. G. Sibeko, 8. T. Nengomasha, 7. K. Motaung Jnr (9. Djiehoua 65 min), 17. S. Bartlett




Substitutes: 16. E. Baron, 21. P. Mayo, 4. C. Nzama, 12. T. Mooki, 25. G. Schalkwyk,

9. S. Djiehoua, 31. D. Radebe




Coach: Ernst Middendorp

Maritzburg United: 1. D. Bogunovic, 21. O. Bhasera, 22. J. Motale, 4. N. Ngema,

27. I. Winstanley, 8. C. Masuku (17. Wiltwer 63 min), 15. S. Siphika,

16. L. Pule (10. Lekoelea 75 min), 18. G. King, 19. W. Qalanta (12. Zimba 46 min),

26. S. Ndlovu




Substitutes: 66. C. Makhanya, 3. T. Rooi, 24. T. Mashego, 12. C. Zimba,

17. E. Wiltwer, 10. S. Lekoelea, 33. K. Musasa




Coach: Kosta Papic

Cautions: Yellow Cards, Maritzburg United: 22. Japie Motale 3 min, 4. Nkhosinathi Ngema 87 min

Yellow Cards, Kaizer Chiefs: 12. Thabo Mooki 83 min

Officials:


Referee: Andile Ncobo


Assistant 1: Siphiwe Jibiliza


Assistant 2: Lindikhaya Bolo


4th Official: Robert Sithole


Match Commissioner: Stan Swart