Chiefs edges out Celtic

By Sports Reporter

Bloemfontein Celtic ..... (0) 0

Kaizer Chiefs ................ (0) 1

Tshabalala 73

This was exactly the result Kaizer Chiefs required, and what Bloemfontein Celtic certainly did not need.

These two teams have been under tremendous pressure in recent weeks, with both hovering in the Absa Premiership relegation zone, and it was Amakhosi who claimed victory.

Muhsin Ertugral's side won a closely-fought encounter at Seisa Ramabodu Stadium yesterday, thanks to Siphiwe Tshabalala's 73rd minute goal - so this win gives them much-needed breathing space.

On an afternoon when neither side could claim to have played the better football, Celtic will have rued their lax defending in letting Tshabalala in to score the match's decisive goal, and the result means that the Free State side remain bottom of the standings with a paltry single point from a possible 15.

Chiefs, however, were as exultant as they were relieved following only their second victory in the Premiership this season which lifted them to somewhere near mid-table with several evening matches to follow.

Muhsin Ertugral's side have had a torrid past few weeks - they came into this match on the back of two successive defeats - and it was no surprise that their approach to this fixture yesterday was tentative.

Ertugral welcomed back holding midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha to his first XI but that did not stop Celtic from, at times, venturing into Chiefs' territory with ease.

Moses Spandeel wasted Phunya Sele Sele's best chance midway through the second half, lobbing way over Itumeleng Khune when one-on-one with the Chiefs goalminder.

But Chiefs had their chances, too. José Torrealba, who had a pretty quiet afternoon, fired a shot from long range after half-an-hour, only for the ball to fly marginally past Patrick Tignyemb's goal. Celtic responded through Spandeel, who headed just wide from a good position following a Ditheko Mototo cross.

But for Spandeel's chance, the second half belonged to Chiefs as Ertugral rang the changes in search of victory.

In came Tshepo Bulu, who was wearing a protective mask around his nose which was fractured a few weeks ago, and Thuso Phala.

Both substitutes had glorious opportunities of breaking the deadlock. First Phala headed straight at Tignyemb on 67 minutes, and then Bulu blasted waywardly over the bar after he had excellently controlled a high ball.

Thankfully for Chiefs, both men combined minutes later to set up Tshabalala's crucial breakthrough, with Phala surging through from the right and offloading the ball to Bulu. The striker miscued and the ball fell for Tshabalala, who easily tapped in past Tignyemb, the Celtic 'keeper.

The goal brought Chiefs fans, who had been silent for much of the afternoon, to their feet as they chanted in relief, but the question was whether their side would hold on. Amakhosi just about managed to, and they were aided in part by Mototo's sending off for a second bookable offence with nine minutes to go.

Teams

Celtic: Tignyemb, Ratsoana (Nhlapo 51), Mubiala, Motlhaping, Mototo, Malokase (Mmethi 84), Maduka, Nthethe, Mayambela, Spandeel, Serunkuma (Kondowe 71)

Chiefs: Khune, Zwane, Quartey, Tsotetsi, Bhasera, Mathebula (Bulu 46), Sibeko (Phala 61), Nengomasha, Tshabalala, Schalkwyk, Torrealba (Letsholonyane 75)