Stuttering Chiefs stunned by Gallants at home

Kaizer Chiefs will go to the much-anticipated Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates next Saturday having not won a league match in their last six outings after they lost 2-1 to Marumo Gallants at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Amakhosi were looking to be on their way to breaking their winless streak in the league after taking a 12th minute lead through Glody Lilepo’s wonderful scorcher.

But indifferent defending, which has marked Chiefs’ season having come to this match having conceded 26 goals in 24 matches against the 22 they had scored, continued when they allowed Gallants defender Trevor Mathiane to cancel Lilepo’s strike five minutes before the interval.

Mathiane was given an easy route to find his goal when the Chiefs’ makeshift central defence pairing of Zitha Kwinika and Bradley Cross couldn’t react quickly enough when goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma parried Daniel Msendami’s thunderbolt shot back into the fray.

Mathiane was on hand to tap in the rebound to cut Chiefs’ lead short.

With Dillan Solomons operating as a right-back and Happy Mashiane on the left, Chiefs’ whole defence never looked stable as Msendami, Thapelo Mokobodi and Junior Dion always looked capable of scoring whenever the visitors from the Free State ventured forward.