This hard-fought win propelled AmaSwaiSwai to the third position in the league standings, and they are now eager to extend their winning streak to two matches when they clash with Chippa United on October 4.

On the other side, AmaZulu remained in eighth place in the standings after their impressive three-match unbeaten run came to a halt.

They are determined to return to their winning form when they face Chippa United on October 28.
In the early stages of the game, both teams struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. However, Usuthu intensified their efforts just after the half-hour mark as halftime approached.

The deadlock was finally broken on the stroke of halftime when Ethan Brooks was given the space and time to unleash a powerful shot that left goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi with no chance. AmaZulu took a 1-0 lead into the interval.

Nevertheless, Usuthu’s hopes were dealt a significant blow 12 minutes into the second half when Abubeker Mobara received a straight red card, leaving coach Pablo Franco Martin’s side with only 10 players on the field.AmaSwaiSwai seized the opportunity presented by their numerical advantage over Usuthu.

Kwanda Mngonyama set up Tshegofatso Mabasa, who found the back of the net to level the score at 1-1 with 19 minutes remaining.

The hosts continued to press for the winning goal, which they ultimately achieved in the 75th minute, thanks to another goal from Mabasa, completing his brace and sealing Swallows’ remarkable come-from-behind 2-1 victory.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 pm. Usuthu recently extended their unbeaten run to three matches in the local top-flight competition when they played to a goalless draw against Polokwane City on September 25, in an away fixture.

Currently, AmaZulu occupies the eighth position in the DStv Premiership standings, trailing fourth-placed SuperSport United by three points. Usuthu has their sights set on a top-four finish and will be aiming for victory to achieve that goal.

Franco Martin, the head coach of AmaZulu, shed light on the decision to have Ben Motshwari as an unused substitute in the Polokwane City match. He also hinted at the possibility of the midfielder featuring in the upcoming game against Swallows.

“His fitness level is inferior to the one that [Taariq] Fielies showed us in the previous training sessions,” said the coach.

“From there we were planning,” Franco Martin said. And I wished I could have given him some game time.

“Because we really wanted to help him get fitter and fitter. “But we couldn’t because of the situation of the game.

“And we thought it was not the right moment to risk him. Let’s see if in the next game he can get his game time because the same as I said with Fielies he is a player who is going to help us.”

Meanwhile, Swallows emerged as a 2-0 winners over Stellenbosch FC away on September 19 and the win saw the Soweto giants bounce back to winning ways in the league.

Amaswaiswai are currently occupying the sixth spot on the DStv Premiership standings – three points behind third-placed SuperSport, but the former have a better goal difference.

Steve Komphela, the Swallows head coach, expressed his delight after masterminding a win over Stellenbosch in the Western Cape.

“It was a nice match, but the highlight for me is keeping a clean sheet,” Komphela said.
“The goalkeepers, goalkeeping coach, and the entire technical team, they have been fighting hard that we need to keep a clean sheet. If you don’t concede you won’t lose a match.

“But above that scoring two goals, the weather was quite bad it was slippery. You learn that by bringing in the right type of equipment (players) we could have scored more goals. But we are delighted with the victory.”

AmaZulu will welcome back Mbongeni Gumede from suspension when they take on Swallows.

Usuthu president, Sandile Zungu confirmed the capture of the 31-year-old defender. “We’re pleased to announce the signing of Taariq Fielies from Cape Town City. He has completed his medicals and will join his teammates with immediate effect,” Zungu said.

“He has been one of the Citizen’s pillars at the heart of defence for over 4 seasons. We welcome him to the team.”

The Cape Town-born joins two days after the signing of Ben Motshwari from Orlando Pirates. “I am looking forward to many challenges, great ones obviously. I know a few guys, and I played with a few guys before and we’re obviously used to seeing one another at the tunnel. Now we’re teammates,” Fielies said.

“I think from what I’ve seen, the coach [Pablo Franco Martin] is putting in more of a footballing side. I know AmaZulu likes having the ball, and possession football and I can see the coach is helping them improve on that. I am looking forward to working with him and my new teammates,” he concluded.

The former Bidvest Wits midfielder, has signed a contract for the remainder of the season with an option to renew at the end of the season.

“We welcome Ben into the team and trust that he will settle in well and make a good contribution in Pablo Franco’s side,” said club president, Sandile Zungu.

The club has also rubbished media rumours that have surfaced regarding Namibian left back, Riaan Hanamub as a wanted target by certain DStv clubs.

“The rumours about Hanamub are malicious. We have not been approached by any club regarding his services. He is not for sale,” said Zungu.

Junior Dion struck two injury-time goals at the end of the match to hand AmaZulu a dramatic 3-2 win and Cape Town City a fourth consecutive defeat.

The home side took an early lead in the 6th minute when Cape Town City goalkeeper, Bongani Mpandle, fumbled a free kick, allowing Mbongeni Gumede to score.

Hendrick Ekstein came close to scoring a second goal for Usuthu in the 13th minute but hit the crossbar with a thunderous volley.

The visitor equalized in the 26th minute when Khanyisa Mayo lobbed goalkeeper Veli Mothwa from the edge of the box.

City took the lead in the 58th minute when Tshegofatso Nyama scored with a low left-footed shot after being set up by substitute Juan Zapata.

Riaan Hanamub had a close chance for Amazulu in the 69th minute, but was denied by Mpandle’s excellent save.

In injury time, Junior Dion scored two close-range goals, one from a corner kick flicked on by Ramahlwe Mphahlele, securing a dramatic 3-2 win for Amazulu.

The victory marked Amazulu’s second successive league win, lifting them to fourth place in the league table with nine points from six matches. Cape Town City suffered their fourth successive loss in the league and find themselves in 14th place with six points from as many matches.

Amakhosi opened the scoring just three minutes into the match. S’fiso Hlanti provided a well-timed pass that released Ashley Du Preez down the left wing. Du Preez then delivered a cut-back pass, which was met by Tebogo Potsane.

Potsane’s initial shot was blocked, but the ball fell to Mmodi, who managed to tuck the ball away, giving Amakhosi an early lead.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Kaizer Chiefs extended their lead to 2-0. Mmodi, who was involved in the first goal, initiated the attack by passing to Du Preez on the left side. Du Preez then played the ball into Potsane.

In a skilful move, Potsane executed a backheel pass that found Mmodi’s path. Despite being under pressure from defenders, Mmodi managed to toe-poke the ball through a tight gap into the net.

Five minutes before the full-time whistle, Kaizer Chiefs scored their third goal. Castillo attempted a diving header, but AmaZulu’s goalkeeper, Veli Mothwa, pushed the header around the post to deny the initial chance. However, from the ensuing corner kick, Castillo rose above the defenders and headed the ball into the net, sealing a comfortable victory for Kaizer Chiefs.

This victory was significant for Kaizer Chiefs, not only for the margin of victory but also for their climb to the 11th position in the DStv Premiership table.

The Colombian international was announced as a Kaizer Chiefs this week after joining from Bolivian side, Real Santa Cruz.

The 24-year-old started his career with Colombian side, Atletico Nacional before joining Argentinean side, San Lorenzo in February 2019. In November 2020 he was sent on loan All Boys in the Second Division.

“There is still an issue of paper work,” said Ntseki when asked about the player’s availability for the DStv Premiership match against Amazulu. We will be advised by the office when the player is ready and available for selection.

“But he is very tall and even bigger that myself which makes it very comfortable me for having him around. He is a young striker, he can play from central areas and wide.

“He is very quick for his height – we are looking for someone who can help us as a reference point. He can also help us with creativity in the last third [of the field] and hopefully getting us goals because that is what is missing in the team.

“But we are not putting pressure on him. We will work on creating chances, he’s welcomed and part of the Khosi nation. The only thing we can do is to do a proper induction in terms of the league.”

Amakhosi will host Amazulu at FNB Stadium today looking for the first win of the season. “Ja, it’s a home game and we must take advantage of it.

“We are looking forward it and the preparations are going well. What we can control is the good performance of the team and when we perform well as a team, we are obviously going to perform as a team.

“In terms of injuries, there are few players who are still out. There is Keagan Dolly who has just started training with the team and we have Edmilson Dove who has just started. And hopefully after the Fifa international break, they will all be available for selection.”

Amakhosi opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Chippa United which was followed by back-to-back defeats against Mamelodi Sundowns and TS Galaxy.

“We are working very hard in correcting the areas of the game that we need to, we have done our analysis of the opponent and this is what you normally do whenever we have to play a game in the PSL,” said Ntseki.

“I think the attitude, the mentality is OK. We are over what happened over the weekend [against TS Galaxy], we are fully aware that we did not get the result that we wanted for the past three matches.

It is this time that we have to turn things around and I think the most important thing is a belief in our players, belief in our tactics, belief in our approach and things will work out well for us.”

Ntseki took over the coaching reigns from Arthur Zwane who has been demoted to assistant. Kaizer Chiefs lost two preseason friendly matches against Young Africans from Tanzania and Township Rollers from Botswana.

After the defeat against TS Galaxy, angry Kaizer Chiefs fans threw at missiles at Ntseki. “I think it’s a big disappointment for the club, for this brand,” said Ntseki about the behaviour of fans.

“But the most important thing that we all need to understand is that when you are not happy, when you are disappointed, actions of violence are not what this country is all about. What is important is, keeping peace because we are loving peace type of a team.

“It has happened in the past and I think the club has addressed this matter. In terms of their behaviour, I think we can always do things differently instead of doing what you have done.

“The club has spoken about this and we are saying as a technical team and as the players, we are fully aware of the disappointment and we are working very hard to make them happy.

“But the game of football has three types of results – you draw games that you don’t have to – the first game we played [against Chippa United] it was a draw and then we went on to play Sundowns and we lost, even though the loss itself did not go well with us in terms of the play.

“We went to play against Cape Town City – a Cup game – and won. And the whole Khosi nation was happy and we were looking forward to doing just against TS Galaxy.

“But on the day, we did not take our chances. At the end of the day, we made a mistake which ended up in a goal. We could not recover from that and the game ended 1-0 in favour of TS Galaxy.
“Having lost the game, the supporters were disappointed, we were also disappointed but that doesn’t define who we are and we are looking forward to turn things around.”
By Zola Doda

Usuthu were held to a 0-0 draw by Richards Bay this past weekend. The Spaniard’s first two matches also ended 0-0 against Royal AM and Superport United.

“This is something that never happened in my life as a coach,” Franco Martin said after the KwaZulu-Natal Derby clash.

“Probably not even two games in a row not converting at all. We need to look for solutions. We need to figure out why we can’t perform well in games like we do during the week at training.

“It’s not only a matter of players, us as the technical team we need to start changing things. Of course, we are happy that we are not conceding goals, but we can’t be happy about not converting chances.”

AmaZulu are set to travel to Johannesburg where they are scheduled to take on Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium in another league clash on Saturday. Kick-off is at 5:30 pm.

LIFE CHALLENGE CUP
1971: Kaizer Chiefs 2 Orlando Pirates 2 (after extra time)
Replay: Kaizer Chiefs 2 Orlando Pirates 1

1972: Kaizer Chiefs 4 Zulu Royals 1
1973 Orlando Pirates 5 Zulu Royals 2
1974 Orlando Pirates 1 Amazulu 0
1975 Orlando Pirates 2 Kaizer Chiefs 1 (After Extra Time)

BENSON & HEDGES TROPHY
1976 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Orlando Pirates 0
1977 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Orlando Pirates 0

MAINSTAY CUP
1978 Wits University 3 Kaizer Chiefs 2
1979 Kaizer Chiefs 3 Highlands Park FC 3 (aet)
Replay: Chiefs 2 Highlands 0
1980 Orlando Pirates 3 Moroka Swallows 2
1981 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Orlando Pirates 1 (aet)
Replay: Chiefs 3 Pirates 1
1982 Kaizer Chiefs 2 African Wanders 1
1983 Moroka Swallows 1 Witbank Black Aces 0
1984 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Orlando Pirates 0
1985 Bloemfontein Celtic 2 African Wanderers 1 (After Extra Time)
1986 Mamelodi Sundowns 1 Jomo Cosmos 0 (After Extra Time)
1987 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Amazulu 0

BOB SAVE SUPER BOWL
1988 Orlando Pirates 0 Kaizer Chiefs 0 (aet)
Replay: Orlando Pirates 2 Kaizer Chiefs 1
1989 Moroka Swallows 1 Mamelodi Sundowns 1 (aet)
Replay: Moroka Swallows 5 Mamelodi Sundowns 1
1990 Jomos Cosmos 1 Amazulu 0
1991 Moroka Swallows 2 Jomo Cosmos 1 (After Extra Time)
1992 Kaizer Chiefs 2 Jomo Cosmos 1 (aet)
1993 Witabank Aces 1 Kaizer Chiefs 0
1994 Vaal Professionals 1 QwaQwa Stars 0
1995 Cape Town Spurs 3 Pretoria City 2
1996 Orlando Pirates 1 Jomo Cosmos 0
1998 Mamelodi Sundowns 1 Orlando Pirates 1 (After Extra Time)
Replay: Mamelodi Sundowns 1 Orlando Pirates 1 (After Extra Time, Sundowns wins 6-5 on penalties)
1999 Supersport United 2 Kaizer Chiefs 1
2000 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Mamelodi Sundowns 0
2001 Santos 1 Mamelodi Sundowns 0
2002 No competition

ABSA CUP
2003 Santos 2 Ajax Cape Town 0
2004 Moroka Swallows 3 Manning Rangers 1
2005 Supersport United 1 Wits University 0
2006 Kaizer Chiefs 0 Orlando Pirates 0
(After Extra Time, Chiefs win 5-3 on penalties)
2007 Ajax Cape Town 2 Mamelodi Sundowns 0

NEDBANK CUP
2008 Mamelodi Sundowns 1 Mpumalanga Black Aces 0
2009 Moroka Swallows 1 University of Pretoria 0
2010 Bidvest Wits 3 Amazulu 0
2011 Orlando Pirates 3 Black Leopards 1
2012 Supersport United 2 Mamelod Sundowns 0
2013 Kaizer Chiefs 1 Supersport United 0
2014 Orlando Pirates 3 Bidvest Wits 1
2015 Mamelodi Sundowns 0 Ajax Cape Town 0
(aet, Sundowns win 4-3 on penalties)
2016 Supersport United 3 Orlando Pirates 2
2017 Supersport United 4 Orlando Pirates 1
2018 Maritzburg United 0 Free State Stars 1
2019 TS Galaxy 1 Kaizer Chiefs 0
2020 Bloemfontein Celtic 0 Mamelodi Sundowns 1
2021 Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila 1 Chippa United 0
2022 Mamelodi Sundowns 2 Marumo Gallants 1