Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 Petro de Luanda: Amakhosi end eight-match winless run

Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 Petro de Luanda: Amakhosi end eight-match winless run

Kaizer Chiefs were comfortable 2-0 winners over Angolan side Petro de Luanda in a Caf Champions League match played at FNB Stadium on Saturday evening.

It was a case of job done for Gavin Hunt’s charges, who didn’t put up the most inspired performance and struggled for creativity, yet were always in command of the game.

With Khama Billiat and Dumisani Zuma still missing through injury and Leonardo Castro and Samir Nurkovic added to the casualty list this week, it was Lebogang Manyama who started up front as a striker, supported by Lazarous Kambole and Happy Mashiane on the wings.

Bernard Parker meanwhile played alongside Nkosingiphile Ngcobo in central midfield, with captain for the day Willard Katsande sitting behind them.

The opening stages of the game saw Chiefs looking comfortable in possession, without doing much to trouble the opposition defence.

But while Amakhosi were struggling to create chances from open play, they proved to be deadly at set play as Erick Mathoho emphatically headed in from an Ncgobo corner on the half hour mark to put the Soweto side ahead.

Amakhosi remained largely in control for the remainder of the first half but did little to suggest they would score a second, with their only real chance before the interval also falling to Mathoho, who fired a volley over the goal from 20 metres out.

There was little change to the flow of the game after the restart as the Angolan side’s lack of attacking ambition and application allowed Chiefs to stay in command of proceedings.

Again though their only clear route to goal seemed from set-pieces and it should really have been 2-0 on the hour mark when Daniel Cardoso got on the end of another corner from Ngcobo, but the defender’s header came back off the woodwork.

Instead, it was left to a moment of individual brilliance from Mashiane to put the seal on the victory as he picked up a loose ball 30-yards out and skilfully glided past three defenders before placing a low right-footed shot into the bottom corner in the 79th minute.

From there on it was just a case of playing out the remaining minutes, which Chiefs did with comfort as goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi remained untested at the back.