Posted in News on Feb 27, 2002.
It took a young unkown striker by the name of Rene Richards to open the scoring for Amakhosi.
Richards found the back of the net when he finished off a
rebound, after Ajax Cape Town's goalkeeper Calvin Marlin fisted back an attempt by Luke Jukulile, who received the ball from Stanton Fredericks.
Chiefs' recent three match losing streak had fans expecting
another loss especially against their Cape hoodoo team but Chiefs, who led 1-0 at half-time managed to secure the points.
Ajax pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute through captain
Edelbert Dihna who headed in a corner kick from Rowan Hendricks.
But the visitors' celebrations did not last long as two minutes
later Chiefs were back in the lead when Patrick Mabedi converted a penalty.
Amakhosi were awarded a penalty after Jabu Pule was brought down inside the box by substitute Jeremy Jansen.
In the 86th minute Fredericks scored goal number three with a
perfect finish after a pass from substitute Sibusiso Sithole.
At the beginning of the game it looked like Ajax were going to
continue where they left off in the first round which saw them win 2-1 at Newlands and they were awarded a corner kick as early as the third minute but it was poorly-taken by Shaun Potgieter.
In the 14th minute Chiefs were lucky when referee Jerry Ngwenya ruled that Ajax's Geert Brusselers made contact with goalkeeper Brian Baloyi inside the box and ordered a goal kick.
Brusselers had beaten Chiefs defence and laid the ball to the
on-side Simon Makhubela who was well positioned in the 18-area but Makhubela never took a shot at goal because of the Ngwenya's decision.
The home side took time to combine, especially in the middle of the park where Thabo Mooki was fairly quiet, while Stanton Fredericks was easily dispossed and Arthur Zwane's crosses not up to scratch.
After the first goal Chiefs found their footing and they were
unstoppable.
Zwane started to deliver the crosses which earned him PSL's best ball crosser and one such cross was in the 24th minute for Pule but Pule moved in slowly and allowed Marlin to get to the ball first.
Six minutes later Zwane should have registered his name in the scoresheet after a brilliant solo move but when he had only the keeper to beat, the lanky winger jumped over Marlin who had fallen and lost the ball.
Chiefs's continued to play well in the second half and Richards
was unlucky not to complete a brace in the 60th minute when he missed inside the goal-line after a pass from Zwane.
Ajax have now played five games without a win.
If this kind of performance is Chiefs' comeback then maybe their dream to sweep all the cups this season is still within reach.
Teams:
Kaizer Chiefs: Baloyi, Nzama, Mabedi, Mabotsa, Kannemeyer; Zwane (Permall 89), Fredericks, Mooki, Pule; Richards (Macamo 68) and Jukulile (Sithole 56).
Ajax Cape Town: Marlin, Sixaba, Dinha, Isaacs (Gcilishe 59); Potgieter, Mzizi, Brusselers, Evans Hendricks, Vink (Powell 59) and Makhubela (Jansen 59)
Referee: Jerry Ngwenya
Yellow Cards: Mabotsa 34, Brusselers 64, Dinha 83, Potgieter 90
