Amakhosi Latest News: Flavio Silva Fires Kaizer Chiefs to Crucial Win Over Durban City

Kaizer Chiefs surged into third place in the Betway Premiership standings following a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Durban City at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium.

In a match defined by grit and tactical discipline, Gavin Hunt’s Durban City locked horns with the co-managed Kaizer Chiefs duo, Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze.

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Both teams carved out opportunities in a cagey contest, but it was Flavio Silva’s late strike that ultimately broke the deadlock and proved decisive.

Chiefs started brightly, with Makabi Lilepo and Mfundo Vilakazi both testing Darren Keet early on, while City’s Mfanafuthi Mkhize fired narrowly over following a set piece.

The first half ended goalless despite half-chances at both ends, including a fine save by Keet from Vilakazi’s long-range effort just before the break.

The second half continued in similar fashion, with City pushing forward through Bokang Mokwena and Fezile Gcaba, while Chiefs gradually took control after a string of substitutions.

The introduction of Gaston Sirino added creativity, and the Uruguayan made an instant impact when his pinpoint cross found Silva in the 88th minute. The Portuguese striker rose highest to glance his header into the top corner, sending the travelling fans into raptures.

Durban City threw everything forward in the closing moments, with Letsie Koapeng forcing a fine save and Kyle Jurgens missing a late chance to equalise.

But Chiefs’ defence, marshalled by Inacio Miguel and Bradley Cross, held firm to secure a hard-fought clean sheet.

The victory lifts Chiefs to third in the standings on 19 points from 10 matches. Durban City, meanwhile, drop to fifth with 15 points from 11 games.

It was a reminder that Chiefs, despite their recent inconsistency, remain one of the Premiership’s most dangerous sides when it matters most.

Manqoba Mngqithi has challenged Mamelodi Sundowns to secure all three points from their CAF Champions League group stage clash with AS FAR.

The Brazilians started their group stage campaign with a disappointing goalless draw away to AS Maniema Union.

The Moroccan side, meanwhile, recorded a 2-0 win over Botola Pro League rivals Raja Casablanca in their first Group B clash.

Looking ahead to the weekend’s game, Mngqithi admitted that his team face a tough test against their next opponents, but insists they have a plan for maximum points.

The Brazilian boss said in the Citizen: “We’re playing against a very good team in Morocco. AS FAR has really done well over the past three seasons when you look at it very closely. It will be interesting to see how they’ll want to play us because we have a nice approach for matches like this and I think that’s where we’re stronger.

“It’s always going to be difficult when you’re playing against teams that will resist and allow the game to flow by sitting in but North Africans don’t normally have that mentality. They want to come at you, they believe they’ve got a chance to beat you at their home ground because they possess different energies away and home.

“At home they are ultra-motivated to come at you and get goals but away from their supporters, they’re usually very timid and they’ll want to sit back and try to look for counter-attacks so it’s very important to understand the dynamics of how we should approach this game.

“The good thing is that I’ve been following them to try and see what they possess compared to us and I think it will be an interesting match.”