Bidvest Wits beat Kaizer Chiefs in PSL opener

The more patient Kaizer Chiefs fans will tell you that the PSL is a marathon and what they witnessed tonight can be improved on...

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Bidvest Wits (1) 2

Pelembe 33, Hlatshwayo 65

Kaizer Chiefs (0) 1

Gordinho 82

 

 

 

 

Bidvest Stadium - The more patient Kaizer Chiefs fans will tell you that the Absa Premiership is a marathon and what they witnessed here on the opening day of the season can be improved on.

But the cynics, those less tolerant, will be seething after this poor showing from Amakhosi, whose coach Steve Komphela is under extreme pressure to deliver in his second year with the club.

Komphela guided the Glamour Boys to a substandard fifth place finish in his maiden campaign, thereby surrendering the championship and finding it tough to win any silverware despite reaching two cup finals in the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout. So much was expected ahead of the start of the 2016/17 and perhaps Tuesday night’s game against fellow title challengers Bidvest Wits was supposed to set the tone.

Instead, the Clever Boys emerged as the better prepared side going into a lengthy campaign that will only conclude on May 27 next year. While Wits looked sharp and immediately taking advantage of their new recruits to make an impact - four of the players recruited during pre-season started the match - Chiefs were rather stale. Komphela opting to keep things as they were on the final day of the previous season, with the exception of Ramahlwe Mphahlele who joined from Mamelodi Sundowns in July.

It was a strange decision by the Amakhosi coach, with a starting line-up that raised eyebrows given that the club brought in 10 new faces and only one was selected to start the game. Wits simply had a better shape, more attempts on target and were far superior in just about every area on the pitch, while Komphela appeared too cautious to bring in the change that is so desperately needed.

The home side showed early intent and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune - fresh from the Olympic Games in Rio with the national Under-23 squad - was called on quite early to hold on to his clean sheet. But Wits eventually struck with an exquisite move from left-back Sifiso Hlanti, whose timely cross found an unmarked Elias Pelembe in the Chiefs box to head home and break the deadlock.

To be honest, Amakhosi hardly put up a fight. And when Komphela made changes later in the second half by introducing strikers Emanuel Letlotlo, Lewis Macha and Edward Manqele, Wits had long put the game to bed with a second goal. That, too, was well constructed. Daine Klate, with what was to be his final contribution to the game, sent in a delightful cross from a corner kick and found defender and captain Thulani Hlatshwayo ready to bury it home, almost in similar fashion to their opening strike.

It was in the dying minutes that Chiefs seemed to wake up from their slumber, possibly influenced by the three substitutions and the fact that they were staring at an opening match defeat for the first time in several years in the Premier League era. The 82nd minute goal from Lorenzo Gordinho will easily be overlooked in an assessment of what went wrong here on a night they were expected to show off the new Chiefs way that everyone has heard so much about during the off-season.

@superjourno

@extrastrongsa

Independent Media