KAIZER CHIEFS (2) 4
Mmodi 18, 26, Miguel 62, Chivairo 83
FREE AGENTS 0
‘Janu-worry’ is coming to an end this week, and but Kaizer Chiefs ensured that they ended the month on a high note on Sunday by crushing Free Agents.
The Amakhosi reached the Nedbank Cup last 16 after beating the ABC Motsepe side at FNB Stadium in Soweto; and while this result ensured they kept their hopes of ending their 10-year trophy drought alive, it will also serve as a morale booster heading into the Soweto derby on Saturday.
Chiefs will likely be at full strength against Orlando Pirates, as they will not only have their regulars back but also head coach Nasreddine Nabi, who served his last suspension in this match.
Meanwhile, Agents should take positives from this match. Coach and owner Olaitan Oladeru gained some much-needed experience.
It might have finished 4-0 in the end, but it could have been a much more resounding victory for Chiefs, who should have fully demonstrated how badly they want to win this cup. Nonetheless, despite doing the bare minimum, they managed the game well and won comfortably.
Chiefs posed a danger to Free Agents’ defensive wall from the outset, as Nkosingiphile Ngcobo struck the upright from outside the box after connecting with a loose ball. Ngcobo didn’t despair; he became the conductor of the orchestra, making Chiefs play with slick movements going forward.
With Chiefs stamping their authority over the minnows, assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef cheered them from the touchline. Nabi, suspended for the match, watched like a hawk in the media centre, often troubled by the passing Amakhosi supporters who bayed for his attention.
Chiefs opened the scoring through Pule Mmodi, who pounced from close range after connecting with a clearance from goalie Bruce Bvuma. The Chiefs’ No 1 celebrated his assist in style, running to the bench to embrace his goalkeeper coach Ilyes Mzoughi and deputy Brandon Petersen, before his teammates joined in.
The gulf in class was evident as Chiefs sliced through the Agents like a knife through butter on numerous occasions. In the 26th minute, a brilliant move culminated in Wandile Duba going one-on-one with goalkeeper Ugonnna Igidimba; he selflessly teed up Mmodi, who beat his marker and slotted home.
However, Mmodi should have wrapped up the match for Chiefs with a first-half hat-trick after bypassing Igidimba against the run of play. Instead, he selflessly passed to the on-rushing Happy Mashiane, who lost his footing and put his final shot wide of the target with the goal at his mercy.
Chiefs suffered a setback later in the first half when Duba had to be stretched off after slipping on the ball, spraining his anklet.
Oladeru — dressed in black shorts, sweaters, and sneakers — let his dreadlocks loose in the second half after removing his baseball cap. This seemed to empower him to bark instructions clearer and more effectively to his troops, who began to see more of the ball and turned the tide against Chiefs’ defence.
Despite this resurgence, Chiefs held on, and their youth once again shone through as 18-year-old Mfundo Vilakazi secured a 3-0 lead. Vilakazi struck a curling free kick on target, forcing substitute goalkeeper Tsebo Tshabalala to tip the ball over the crossbar for a corner.
Vilakazi quickly passed the corner back to Gaston Sirino, who laid the ball for Mashiane, whose one-time cross found an unmarked Inacio Miguel, who headed home.
The goal sent the stadium into a frenzy, while a protest from Agents’ players for offside led to a red card for Saheed Adebayo for dissent against referee Msimeleli Mabuto. Ranga Chivaviro sealed the win for Chiefs in the dying minutes from close range, as they dusted off the cobwebs of January to join Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in the last 16.