Kruger United (1) 1
(Ndlovu 45+1’)

Kaizer Chiefs (1) 3
(Da Silva 7’, Duba 56’ 66’))

Betway Premiership 2026/27, Round 1 (1.8.26)
Mbombela stadium, Nelspruit

Amakhosi made a winning start to the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season with a comfortable 3-1 victory over newly-promoted Kruger United at the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday evening.

After Flavio Da Silva’s early goal was cancelled out on the stroke of halftime, his second half replacement, Wandile Duba bagged a brace to put the seal on a dominant performance in which a lot of the football played by Chiefs was very pleasing on the eye.

The urgency was apparent from the first whistle as Chiefs signalled their intention to play on the front foot, immediately putting the hosts’ defence under pressure, with Ethan Chislett featuring on the left flank and Flavio Da Silva having a shot blocked in the 2^nd minute.

The big striker was on the scoresheet less than five minutes later with a goal made by the increasingly influential Mfundo Vilakazi, who played an impeccably timed one-two with Siphesihle Ndlovu to break into the Kruger United box before squaring the ball for Da Silva to finish consummately from near the penalty spot. It was the culmination of one of the many well-constructed passages of play that had the massive crowd screaming with excitement.

Amakhosi had things more or less their own way for the opening 20 minutes as the shell-shocked Premiership newcomers struggled to come to terms with the step up in intensity from the NFD. Ndlovu and Lebohang Maboe were strong in midfield, providing the platform for Chislett, Luke Baartman and Vilakazi to weave creative patterns in the final third. Ndlovu almost crowned a sweeping passing move with a goal in the 21^st minute but fired off target.

The home side gradually gained their footing and offered some resistance to the onslaught from the men in gold and black. Aphiwe Mpothwe gave Brandon Petersen his first real work to do in the 28^th minute, flicking a shot off a cross from the left that the Chiefs ‘keeper gathered easily.

Amakhosi were looking likely to add to their lead before the interval when Vilakazi brought a save from Marcel Dandjinou in the 45^th minute, yet barely a minute later it was 1-1 after Khethukuthula Ndlovu cut in from the right and took advantage of a fortuitous rebound off his Kaizer Chiefs namesake, Siphesihle, to hit a tame shot that curled just inside the far post to everybody’s surprise, and somehow, the teams went into the halftime break with a goal apiece.

Amakhosi emerged for the second half like a team determined to correct their pre-halftime slip up and swarmed over Kruger United with relentless waves of attack that saw Reeve Frosler go close twice with fierce efforts before substitute, Duba restored the lead in the 56^th minute with a well-taken finish, reacting quickest to plant the ball in the net after Dandjinou had parried another ferocious Frosler drive from outside the area.

Chiefs’ hunger wasn’t yet sated and they kept United pinned in their own half, giving them no outlet, as they searched for a third which came in the 65^th minute from a surging run from Maboe followed by an inch-perfect through ball to Duba, who finished via a deflection to give Amakhosi the two-goal cushion their dominance deserved.

Baartman was denied a fourth by a fingertip save from Dandjinou in the 74^th minute and four minutes later Maboe narrowly failed to convert from Vilakazi’s free kick. Petersen was called upon twice in the closing stages to save efforts from Ebrahim Seedat and Mlungisi Zwane but Chiefs were well in control when the final whistle blew to get the Fernando Da Cruz era off to a winning start.

Line-ups

Kaizer Chiefs: Petersen © (1); Miguel (84), Kwinika (4), Frosler (39), Monyane (2), Maboe (6), Ndlovu (8) (Mthethwa (5) 46’), Chislett (23) (Ngcobo (12) 78’), Vilakazi (28), Baartman (11) (Mmodi (13) 85’), Da Silva (77) (Duba (47) 46’)

Subs not used: Leaner (16); Solomons (18), Moloisane (42), Nkgwesa (38), Ighodaro (50)

Coach: Fernando Da Cruz

Kruger Utd: Dandjinou (16), Mohamme (26), Sibiya (4), Seedat (13), Matima (35) (Mahlangu (38) 68’), Makhubela (10), Nel (8), Ndlovu (22), Malatji (12), Mphote (50) (Zwane (7) 81’), Thwala (28)

Subs not used: Tshabalala (17); Saralina (3), Tavengwa (44), Fakude (29), Makumela (18), Mkhonza (31), Ndlela (5)

Coach: Abram Mongoya