Eastern Province Rugby Stadium, Port Elizabeth


Exhibition Match, Nelson Mandela Museum Charity Challenge


25th March 2007


Kick Off: 15h45


Temperature: 23 °C

Kaizer Chiefs fought back from two goals down to take the Mandela Museum Charity Challenge match against Bloemfontein Celtic to a penalty shootout on Sunday afternoon in front of a full house at the Eastern Province Rugby Stadium.

A second half Scara Nogbese penalty and a late headed goal from Serge Djiehoua, cancelled out first half Celtic goals from Reagan Noble and Johannes Motlhaping to send the match into a penalty shout, from which Celtic emerged the winners.

If truth be told the game should not have gone to a shoot out, as The Amakhosi had created the chances to have wrapped up the game inside 90 minutes.

Chiefs started off the game on fire and could well have scored a handful of goals inside the opening ten minutes of the game. Derrick Spencer was first able to run unchecked into Bloemfontein Celtic 18 yard area, upon first sight of goal he unleashed a powerful driven shot across the face of goal, but Celtic goalkeeper Posnet Omony was able to cover his ground and made the save to keep Chiefs out - this was in just the second minute of the game.

A minute on and a mistake by Celtic player Sashi Chalwe allowed Kaizer Junior a sight of goal, the Chiefs striker thought quickly after dispossessing Chalwe and tried to chip Omony who once again back tracked and a made a vital save, pushing Kaizer’s attempt out for a corner. From the resulting corner Kaizer Junior was able to fend off his marker, and met the corner with his head and was just a couple of inches away from giving Chiefs the lead.

The Amakhosi continued to attack and in the fourth minute with some delightful skill from Scara Ngobese. The tricky midfielder cought Celtic asleep with a deceptive ball that found trialist Phumlane Mhlambo who sped down the left wing and sent a curling cross into the danger zone, Omony correctly read the cross and pushed the ball away only as far as on coming Thuso Phala. Unfortunately Phala was unable to control his shot and instead ballooned the ball high and wide over Omony’s goal.

Chiefs' best chance of the first half fell the way of Serge Djiehoua after eleven minutes, when after some excellent short passing between Arthur Zwane and Gerald Sibeko, the latter with an equally outstanding pass found Ngobese, who deceived the Celtic defence with some nimble footwork. With Celtic all at sea, he laid the ball to Serge Djiehoua, with the goal at his mercy, Djiehoua somehow managed to side foot the ball wide when it probably would have been easier to have hit the target.

Almost at the midway point of the first half, Chiefs were made to rue their missed opportunities when Reagan Noble popped up in the 21st minute to put Celtic ahead - this after he was able to get onto the end of a cross from the right by Klein Taaibos. With a deft touch Noble was able to send the ball to the far post and beyond the out stretched arms of Ryan Wuest, to give Celtic the lead clearly against the run of play.

Derrick Spencer and Kaizer Junior almost found a lucky breakthrough for Chiefs on 39 minutes. Spencer knocked a driven shot along the ground towards goal and Omony looked to have it covered, until Kaizer Junior got a boot and almost deflected the ball home. Omony was able to again change his direction with rapid speed and kept the ball out.

As half time neared, Celtic were awarded a free kick just to the left of the Chiefs 18 yard area. As the Chiefs defence readied themselves to defend the kick, Celtic though had other ideas. Jonathan Solomons caught the Chiefs defence napping when he quickly played the ball to Motlhaping who was lurking inside the Chiefs penalty area. Once he received the ball Motlhaping knocked the ball home to double his team’s advantage.

The first half ended with Celtic leading 2-0.

While the first half was played at a rapid speed, the huge crowd in Port Elizabeth had to wait ten minutes into the second period for the action to hot up. Scara Ngobese was played in on goal in the 55th minute, with a pass by Thuso Phala that sliced open the Celtic defence, and with just the keeper to beat, Ngobese chipped the ball just past Omony and out.

Just past the hour mark, Omony was called into action again when Celtic were unable to effectively clear the ball off a Scara Ngobese corner. Mhlambo was able to climb in and head the ball goal wards only for Omony, at full stretch, to push the ball away on the goal line.

In the 71st minute after a collision between Louis Agyemang and Posnett Omony, the lose ball was picked up by Thuso Phala who, with the goalkeeper grounded, was unable to capitalize and hit the ball wide.

Chiefs though did not have to wait long to find a way back as Serge Djiehoua was fouled by Thabiso Rammile a few minutes later inside the Celtic penalty area. Ace Ncobo wasted no time in handing Chiefs the penalty, which crowd favourite Scara Ngobese, dispatched by sending Omony the wrong way and with a quarter of an hour to go it was game on.

Six minutes after that and Chiefs found themselves on a level footing. Serge Djiehoua was able to find Louis Agyemang out on the right wing who floated in a long searching pass which Serge Djiehoua met and headed home to give Chiefs a well deserved equalizer. The goal was met with a massive roar from the capacity crowd, to send the game into a penalty shootout.

David Mathebula missed Chiefs 4th spot kick, with Celtic converting their compliment of penalties Celtic ran out 5-4 winners on the day.

Line Up’s:

Kaizer Chiefs: 16. R. Wuest, 19. T. Phala (22. Kilambe 74 min), 6. F. McCarthy,

21. P. Mayo, 28. D. Spencer (8. Zuke 56 min), 27. G. Sibeko (23. Molekwane 46 min),

18. A. Zwane (24. Mathebula 46 min), 2. P. Mhlambo, 10. E. Ngobese,

7. K. Motaung Jnr (20. Agyemang 46 min), 9. S .Djiehoua




Substitutes: 32. T. Ngobeni, 33. D. Mototo, 24. D. Mathebula, 17. S. Faba,

20. L. Agyemang, 23. L. Molekwane, 31. D. Radebe, 11. J. Pilusa,

22. R. Kilambe, 8. S. Zuke, 25. B. Gololo




Coach: Kosta Papic

Bloemfontein Celtic: 20. P. Omony, 22. T. Nthethe, 3. T. Rammile, 4. C. Mubiala,

5. S. Chalwe, 20. T. Bienvenu, 28. J. Solomon (11. Lepele 67 min),

14. R. Noble (25. Mothibantwa 81 min), 13. J. Motlhaping,

15. T. Liau (23. Sikhakhane 67 min), 8. K. Taaibos




Substitutes: 19. S. Walters, 23. Ntokozo Sikhakhane, 11. A. Lepele, 25. L. Mothibantwa, 9. T. Nlapho, 17. T. Nakedi




Coach: Tony De Nobrega

Cautions:




Bloemfontein Celtic: Red Card, 8. Kleinbooi Taaibos

Officials:


Referee: Ace Ncobo


Assistant 1: Geronimo Piedt


Assistant 2: Lindikaya Bolo


4th Official: Robert Smith