Two more lost points will not make Chiefs coach Mushin Ertugral happy as his team dropped further behind the league front runners with a goalless stalemate against Platinum Stars in Rustenburg on Sunday afternoon.

Chiefs hardly looked an inspired team in front of a close to capacity Olympia Park Stadium. The large number of Chiefs fans in the crowd would not have been pleased with the fact that The Amakhosi were unable to register win number two of the season.

In what was a largely uninspiring game, both teams conjured up very few chances, and when in the rare moment that they did fall the way of the strikers, both teams were guilty of letting go of perfectly good goal scoring chances.

Zwane Chiefs Star

While The Amakhosi for the large part did not display the kind of energy and enthusiasm they did when defeating Moroka Swallows a few weeks back in the Telkom Cup, Arthur Zwane picked up from where he left off against the Dube Birds. Chiefs best chances of finding the back of the net against Stars came via Zwane. Halfway through the first half and Zwane burst down the right leaving two Stars defenders trailing in his wake. He sent the ball to the back post beyond Sandilands to an unmarked Siphiwe Tshabalala, who instead of hitting the ball home proceeded to knock it over from close range with the goal at his mercy.

Bartlett goes close

Shaun Bartlett was unfortunate not to have found the back of the net in injury time at the end of the first half. Once more Zwane came up with the perfect cross from a dead ball situation up to Shaun Bartlett. Zwane swung a free kick midway between the half way line and 18 yard area on the left deep to Stars back post. The home side failed to pick up Bartlett’s run into the area and the Chiefs striker met the ball with his head but it went agonizingly close to Sandilands left hand upright. That injury time effort was the closest either team had gone to scoring in the first forty five minutes.

Stars rare threat

Stars created just two clear cut chances of scoring. Their first chance came early in the second half, almost straight from the kick off when Stanley Kgatla stormed through the Chiefs rear guard, with just Baron to beat, he scuffed his shot and kicked the ball across goal and wide of the sprawled Baron who counted his good fortune as the ball rolled to safety.

With five minutes to go of normal time and the home team nearly stole the points. Stars substitute Collen Makgopela found a way down the left hand channel of the Chiefs 18 yard area and from an angle hit the ball powerfully towards Baron in the Chiefs goal. The Amakhosi goalkeeper got down to the ball and managed to keep it out by knocking it away with his legs.

A long time without a goal

Former Silver Stars player Thuso Phala came on as a second half substitute and his most telling contribution to the game was getting a ball up to Kaizer Motaung Junior which gave the Chiefs striker a sniff of goal. The Amakhosi’s player of the year from a season ago put his effort wide, and that summed up what had been a frustrating afternoon for Chiefs.

A statistic which would be of concern to Amakhosi coach is that Chiefs have not found the back of the net in their last four league outings and have now gone 410 minutes and fifty six days with out a goal in the PSL.

Bartlett’s 40th minute equalizer against Jomo Cosmos on the 25th August at the ABSA Stadium in Durban, being the last time The Amakhosi found a goal in a league game.

Line Up’s:

Platinum Stars (4-4-2): 30. Wayne Sandilands, 5. Abass Inusah, 29. George Mofokeng, 15. Lefa Mogaila, 8. Stanley Kgatla, 20. Edward Williams, 17. Phumudzo Manenzehe, 22. Joseph Makalipa, 28. Tshepo Ramokala, 14. Heirapo Marumo, 9. Dingane Masanabo

Substitutions:

In: 11. Koketso Mmotong Out: 9. Dingane Masananbo 64 min


In: 26. Collen Makgopela Out: 17. Phumudzo Manenzhe 68 min


In: 12. Solomon Mathe Out: 22. Joseph Mkalipa 80 min

Substitutes not used: 99. Tapuwa Kapini, 2. Beki Ndlovu, 34. Ivan Zwane, 23. Bradley Grobler

Yellow Cards: 5. Abass Inusah (bringing down Siphiwe Tshabalala) 29 min,

8. Stanley Kgatla (studs up tackle on Onismor Bhasera) 71 min

Coach: Thierry Mulonzo


Assistant Coach: Allan Freeze


Goalkeeper Coach: Edgard Da Silva

Kaizer Chiefs (4-3-1-2): 30. Emille Baron, 4. Cyril Nzama, 3. Onismor Bhasera, 29. Moketi Tsotetsi, 6. Fabian McCarthy, 8. Tinashe Nengomasha, 13. David Obua, 18. Arthur Zwane, 14. Siphiwe Tshabalala, 7. Kaizer Motaung Junior, 17. Shaun Bartlett

Substitutions:

In: 26. Thuso Phala Out: 14. Siphiwe Tshabalala 60 min


In: 5. Mabhudi Khenyeza Out: 17. Shaun Bartlett 62 min


In: 33. Ditheko Mototo Out: 18. Arthur Zwane 74 min

Substitutes not used:

1. Markus Bocsker, 22. Mandla Masango, 29. Derrick Spencer, 20. Sandile Zuke,

Yellow Cards: 8. Tinashe Nengomasha (foul on Stanley Kgatla) 61 min

Coach: Muhsin Ertugral


Assistant Coach: Fani Madida


Goalkeeper Coach: Rainer Dinkelacker

Match Officials:

Referee: Peter Mabuza


Assistant 1: Encoh Molefe


Assistant 2: Yugesh Anjith


4th Official: Robert Sithole


Match Commissioner: Mark Lindon