Mogamat May of Cape Town City is challenged by Daniel Cardoso of Kaizer Chiefs during their DStv Premiership game at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday Mogamat May of Cape Town City is challenged by Daniel Cardoso of Kaizer Chiefs during their DStv Premiership game at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Cape Town — Following their ignominious Nedbank Cup exits over the weekend, Cape Town City and Kaizer Chiefs failed to grab their shot at redemption after their DStv Premiership clash ended in a goalless draw at the Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The stalemate ensures Chiefs will move into third place on the standings with 29 points but have a superior goal difference to Royal AM and Stellenbosch who have the same number of points.
City, with 23 points, find themselves in the ninth position.
Both teams started at pace in fresh conditions because of the heavy mist ahead.
In the opening half-hour, play swung like a pendulum from one end to the other, and during that time, Chiefs were ahead 3-2 on the corner count. That advantage reflects the greater pressure Chiefs exerted on City's defence.
Chiefs' pressure was greatest in the closing stages of the first half. There were shots from Keagan Dolly and Njabulo Blom, but neither troubled Hugo Marques, the Portugal-born Angolan goalkeeper.
There were two close-in free-kicks in the first half for Chiefs, but their efforts were rank ordinary, and City’s defence lived a charmed life. Chiefs had six first-half shots at goal, and none were on target.
City enjoyed a few penetrative sorties down the flanks, and their pace was proved troublesome. However, City's feeds into the striking zone did not find their front-runners.
Eric Tinkler, City’s coach, decided to offer debutants Jaedin Rhodes and Mogamat May a baptism of fire against the famous club, and neither disappointed. Rhodes impressed with excellent passes, and May served notice that he could be a threat in the striking zone.
However, City tended to over-elaborate their passing in front of goal when a direct approach could have proved a beneficial option.
In the early second-half play, City staged attacks down the right channel. It produced two half-chances, but both efforts were blocked by the supporting defence before Chiefs’ goalkeeper Brandon Petersen was called into action.
Just ahead of the hour mark, Chiefs substituted Bernard Parker for Samir Nurković and almost immediately he injected life into his side's attacks. A few minutes later, unmarked Dolly was presented with a chance, but his parting shot landed in the side netting.
City's set-piece ability was equally disappointing, and they hashed two second-half free-kicks a metre of two outside the Chiefs penalty area.
Tinkler also went to his bench with 20 minutes of playing time left and replaced Thamsanqa Mkhize with Khanyisa Mayo. He proved penetrative out wide on the right and enjoyed one strong run into the opposition penalty area before he unleashed a shot that was wide of the mark.
In the end, defence triumphed over attack in the eventual goalless draw.
IOL Sport
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