The Betway Premiership got off on a high note with Kaizer Chiefs victorious against Marumo Gallants. The new regime at Amakhosi recorded a 2-1 victory against the Bloemfontein side despite conceding early, Sekelo Sithole netted in the eighth minute for the home side, and Chiefs bagged all three points thanks to goals from Mduduzi Shabalala and Mfundo Vilakazi.
Cape Town City failed to protect their lead when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Royal AM in the curtain raiser, Prins Tjiuza scored in the eighth minute and the game looked set to end with that one goal until second-half substitute Sera Motebang netted the equalizer in the 84th-minute.
Meanwhile, at King Zwelithini Stadium, Richards Bay who survived through promotions/relegation play-offs last season to retain their spot in the topflight recorded a resounding victory against TS Galaxy. Keegan Allan netted on debut for Richards Bay to hand his side the 1-0 victory.
A blunder by Veli Mothwa in the dying minutes of the game resulted in a winning goal for Polokwane City who defeated AmaZulu 2-1 to collect maximum points at home.
Here’s a look at 3 players who were outstanding in the opening round of matches.
Gaston Sirino
Sirino signed with Amakhosi after spending seven seasons with Mamelodi Sundowns. He only made 13 appearances and scored four goals across all competitions last season as he had publicly made it known that he wanted a move out of Chloorkop.
The 33-year-old showed class in his debut for Amakhosi providing an assist for the equalizing goal that was scored by Shabalala. The skilful attacking midfielder had completed 31 out of 37 accurate passes and created four big chances with one resulting in a goal.
The Argentinian showed that he still has a lot to give despite his age and lack of game time before joining Chiefs. We look to see if he can continue with his brilliance in their upcoming clash against AmaZulu FC on Wednesday 25 September.
Head coach Nasreddine Nabi had nothing but high praises for Sirino’s performance adding that he is happy for the player as people had written him off after being sidelined for a while at his former club.
“I’m happy for the performance of Sirino, too many people thought maybe Sirino is [past his best]. Honestly, congratulations to him,” said Nabi.
Thabang Matuludi
The right-back looked to continue with last season’s impressive form that led Polokwane City to an eighth-position finish in the log standings. Matuludi topped his stellar performance against AmaZulu with a last-minute winning goal to earn the Limpopo side all three points.
The 25-year-old was solid on the right flank making two important clearances that could’ve resulted in goals for Usuthu. He was providing some dangerous long balls for Hlayisi Chauke that were unfortunately not converted. Matuludi completed 27 out of 37 accurate passes in the 76 touches he had during the game.
He has reportedly garnered interest from Kaizer Chiefs together with fellow teammate Oswin Appollis. It remains to be seen if Polokwane City can let go of their two star players. City will aim to extend their unbeaten run when they take on the newly promoted Magesi FC on Saturday 21 September.
Mfundo Vilakazi
The teenage sensation became the saviour for Amakhosi when he came on to replace Christian Saile in the 60th minute. He scored the winning goal in the 79th minute after receiving a long ball from Wandile Duba. The ball was skipped by captain Yusuf Maart, and Vilakazi took the shot just outside the box, placing it into the far corner with Daniel Akpeyi in Chiefs’ goal, giving Chiefs the lead.
This is Vilakazi’s first goal since being promoted to the first team earlier this year and it looks like the future is bright for the youngster under coach Nabi who lauded his performance.
Vilakazi’s combination with Duba and Sirino kept the Gallants’ defenders on their toes and will be of great importance in Chiefs’ journey towards ending the decade-long trophy drought. We are looking to see if they can continue where they left off when they take on AmaZulu on Wednesday.
Written by Siphesihle Soni