DURBAN - Kaizer Chiefs woes at Moses Mabhida Stadium continued on Saturday night as they left the venue empty handed after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against Polokwane City in an Absa Premiership encounter.
Amakhosi haven't enjoyed happy memories during their times at the iconic stadium. It was the same case last season in their opening game at Moses Mabhida when they were beaten 2-1 by Baroka FC in a league match.
Chiefs also suffered a 1-0 defeat against SuperSport United in the quarterfinal of the MTN8 at the same venue, which is their second home. Things got even worse when Free State Stars dispatched them 2-0 in the semi final of the Nedbank Cup. Stars were also responsible for Amakhosi's exit in the quarterfinal of the Telkom Knockout in 2016 at Moses Mabhida.
It was another night to forget for Amakhosi at Moses Mabhida on Saturday night. City ended Chiefs's eight game unbeaten streaky in the league. They fought gallantly for their maximum points.
Chiefs dominated possession in the early stages of the game but failed to create any meaningful chances to take the lead. The game was played behind the closed doors. Amakhosi are serving their three match suspension following the unruly behaviour by their fans in the Nedbank Cup in April. Chiefs were hit with the three match ban, of which one is suspended.
It was more like a training session as no fans were allowed inside the stadium. You could even hear the players calling for the ball from their teammates. Jabulani Maluleke was influential as always in the middle of the park for City with his swift and crispy passes.
#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/E4kG9D9Ebh
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) October 6, 2018
Lack of concentration let Chiefs down as Vusumuzi Mngomezulu stunned Itumeleng Khune with a scorcher just before the interval. City were always looking dangerous on transition in the first stanza.
Jozef Vukusic invited Amakhosi to come at them in the second half. City allowed Chiefs to build from the back. They defended back in their half hoping to catch Amakhosi on the break.
Giovanni Solinas sacrificed Ryan Moon after the interval. He introduced Gustavo Paez. Moon was not effective and lost possession cheaply. Amakhosi failed to use the bulk of the possession they were enjoying. Poor decision making and lack of urgency let them down.
Stars were resolute and tactical astute at the back. They didn't allow Chiefs any space to penetrate them. Solinas has a lot of work to do before their next league encounter against Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium on the 27th of October.