Amakhosi, are you there?! Here’s a trivia question for you…

Who is Kaizer Chiefs’ all-time top goalscorer in CAF Champions League history?

Knowledge Musona? Collins Mbesuma? Samir Nurković? Bernard Parker?

If you picked one of those prolific Chiefs sharp shooters, you would be wrong, and the answer will surprise you.

Amakhosi’s all-time top CAF Champions League goalscorer is…Mulomowandau Erick Mathoho.

The Chiefs centre-back is an imposing presence at the heart of defence, but he is also a dangerous figure in the opposition penalty area, as his impressive record of six CAF Champions League career goals suggests.

‘Tower’ scored his first CAF Champions League goal in the first round of the 2014 competition in a 4-0 win against Mozambique’s Liga Muculmana.

In the preliminary round of the 2016 competition against Volcan Club of the Comores, Mathoho grabbed a brace in a 4-0 win.

And he’s been deadly in Chiefs’ march to the semi-finals of this season’s CAF Champions League campaign, scoring the only goal in a tight preliminary round double header against Cameroon’s PWD Bamenda.

In the group stages, Mathoho scored in the home tie against Angola’s Petro Luanda, as well as in the quarter-final in the 4-0 home win against Tanzania’s Simba FC.

Amakhosi fans will be happiest that Mathoho and his fellow defenders have rediscovered their defensive form at the right time in the competition, but another towering header from Mathoho – into the Wydad Athletic Club net – could be a massive boost in Chiefs’ quest to reach a first CAF Champions League final.

The understated, humble Mathoho is quick to praise his teammates for his goalscoring feats.

“I am very happy to be the club’s top goal scorer in the CAF Champions League.  As a defender, that’s not an easy feat. But I have to credit my teammates, they are the ones who deliver the balls. But I’m happy to hold that record,” Mathoho told www.kaizerchiefs.com this week ahead of the second leg of the semi-final against Wydad.

He is a vital goalscoring weapon, but Mathoho knows it’s in his day job in the centre of the Amakhosi defence that he will need to be at his best on Saturday.

Chiefs have been far from towering in defence this season, but they’ve been buoyed by two important clean sheets in their last two games – no more so than in tough conditions in last weekend’s shock away win against Wydad in the semi-final first leg.

“I think the way we are helping each other and communicating has meant everything is going a bit better defensively now. We have to trust each other. Sometimes this season we’ve conceded goals through our own mistakes, but as players it is important that we learn from our mistakes. That is what we have been doing, which is why we are again keeping clean sheets now. We have to keep on improving and eliminating our mistakes,” says Mathoho.

“We have been following the coaches’ instructions and we did well as a team in managing to keep a clean sheet in Casablanca. As defenders, we have to be switched on all the time and remind each other to focus. I know it’s not easy, but we have to stay aware and keep things simple at the back,” Mathoho added.

The experienced centre-back has been the physical and proverbial tower of strength for the Amakhosi for many fruitful years now and he knows the team is in for a huge battle this weekend.

“It is going to be tough, but we have to be switched on from the first minute to the last minute. It’s a must, and we know that if we keep another clean sheet, we will win the game. It’s not going to be easy, but we are ready to fight. They will come all out to win, but we won’t allow them, we will fight all the way playing at home,” says Mathoho.

Mathoho is confident Chiefs will benefit from being at home at the FNB Stadium, where they have a strong continental record.

“Obviously we do have an advantage playing at home. We will be fresh, and playing at a stadium we know well will be an advantage for us. If we reach the CAF Champions League final, I will be proud of myself and I will be proud of the team. It’s good for players to write their names in the history books of the club. To be in the final ‘yoh’ it will be interesting for everyone,” says Mathoho, allowing himself to dream for a minute.

But before that, he knows an interesting 90 minutes awaits, in which the Amakhosi will need to be flawless.

Kaizer Chiefs CAF Champions League Top Goal Scorers

6 – Erick Mathoho

5 – Knowledge Musona

4 – Collins Mbesuma

3 – Eric September, Ronnie Dube, Samir Nurković

2 – Albert Bwalya, Arthur Zwane, Simphiwe Mbambo, Kingston Nkhatha, Mathew Rusike, Doctor Khumalo, Donald ‘Ace’ Khuse, Kingston Nkhatha, Bernard Parker, Leonardo Castro

1 – Neil Tovey, Shane McGregor, Lucas Radebe, John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu, Mandla Masango, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Morgan Gould, Tefu Mashamaite, Siyabonga Nkosi, Sula Matovu, Happy Mashiane, Daniel Cardoso, Khama Billiat