Kaizer Chiefs Township beat Botswana’s Township Rollers 2-1, thanks to captain Tefu Mashamaite’s goal in injury time. The first leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League was played at the FNB Stadium on Saturday evening. Matthew Rusike scored the opener in the first half, before Rollers equalised early in the second half.

Itumeleng Khune was in goal for the first time in an official match since recovering from his injury. Rusike got a rare start, while George Lebese returned to the starting line-up after having missed the midweek Absa Premiership clash against Bloemfontein Celtic.

Amakhosi started on a high with three chances inside the first five minutes. Erick Mathoho and Tefu Mashamaite were dangerous with headers, but the ball didn’t land in the back of the net, while Rusike’s shot from distance flew over the goal.

Rusike, however, got his goal in the sixth minute after a brilliantly weighted through ball from Bernard Parker. The Zimbabwean coolly slotted the ball past the Rollers goalkeeper.

Chiefs continued to dominate with further chances coming in the 18th minute for Rusike and Lebese, but they failed to get the ball past Rollers goalkeeper Mwampole Masule.

Goal scoring opportunities kept piling up for Amakhosi, while Khune - on the other side of the pitch - was a few times alert as a sweeper-keeper whenever Rollers tried to counter-attack.

The Botswana side did get two chances to score towards the end of the second half, but they missed the target. It showed that, despite Amakhosi’s dominance of play, Rollers was not out of the game as yet, especially as the home side struggle to add to its goal tally.

Chiefs got a big wake-up call straight after halftime when the visitors from Botswana equalised three minutes into the restart. Reneilwe Letsholonyane lost possession in midfield to Maano Ditsupo, who passed the ball deep to Segolame Boy. The attacker’s clean strike from close range ended up in goal, 1-1.

Soon thereafter, Tshabalala nearly scored from an excellently taken free-kick, but Rollers’ young keeper saved brilliantly, diving to his left.

Barely ten minutes into the second half, Chiefs coach Baxter decided to make a double change, bringing on Mandla Masango and George Maluleka for Lebese and Tshabalala.

Parker’s left-footed shot at goal flew over the crossbar in the 61st minute. Amakhosi tried to push forward, but the team suddenly struggled to create real goal scoring opportunities.

But just when everybody thought that the game would finish in a disappointing draw, Chiefs captain Tefu Mashamaite beautifully headed in the winner from a set-piece, 2-1.

The second half wasn’t great from an Amakhosi point of view, but the late winner means that there is still a good chance to reach the first round of the Champions League. Although, of course, that will all depend on the result of the game played in Gaborone in two weeks time.

The return match will be played at Botswana’s National Stadium on Saturday, February 28 (kick-off is at 15:00).

Kaizer Chiefs (1) 2 (Rusike 6’, Mashamaite 93’)

Township Rollers (0) 1 (Boy 48’)

Kaizer Chiefs: Khune, Gaxa, Mashamaite, Mathoho, Masilela, Rusike, Letsholonyane (Mthembu 82’), Katsande, Tshabalala (Maluleka 57’), Lebese (Masango 56’), Parker

Rollers’ line-up: Masule, Mooketsi (Bolweleng 20’), Mathumo, Ngenga, Moswate, Kebaikanye (Koko 56’), Ditsupo, Majawa, Boy, Louis (Ngwenya 75’), Sikele