Kaizer Chiefs are two games away from breaking their decade-long wait for silverware, but a formidable Mamelodi Sundowns challenge could prove a hurdle too high for them to overcome.
Despite some of their best efforts, Amakhosi are enduring yet another season to forget in the Betway Premiership, as they currently find themselves embroiled in a battle to secure a top-eight finish after missing out last season.
Fresh off a 1-1 draw against fourth-placed TS Galaxy, Chiefs have now gone four games without a win. Despite taking the lead through a Wandile Duba opener in the 36th minute, their struggles both in front of goal and in defence were once again exposed as they dropped more points at home.
Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi has come under increasing pressure since taking over at the beginning of the season. After his side controlled much of the match with their slender lead, Chiefs were wasteful in-front of goal and once again committed a costly defensive error, leaving the 59-year-old far from pleased with their efforts.
“It was a frustrating game; we feel that we controlled the game, especially in the first half,” Nabi commented. “It was a game we wanted to get the three points badly and we feel like we had an opportunity to get those three points, but unfortunately we ended up with only one.
“In the second half, the opponent was pushing more, but we also felt like we could have killed the game early. There were times when the opponent was dangerous on set pieces, and also with the goal they scored from the corner, we were making changes, trying to bring on (Tashreeq) Morris and George Matlou to give us height in those situations.
“But unfortunately, even in the corner, it was one of our players who headed the ball and almost scored against us, but in the end, it was a frustrating game.”
The Glamour Boys are still clinging to eighth position with 30 points, with six matches still remaining in their season, but they constantly have to look over their shoulders.
Working in their favour, however, is that many teams around them have also dropped points this past weekend, and they still have a chance to end their season on a high should they string a couple of wins together before the end of the season.
They will next be in action against Chippa United away at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in the league. After having gotten the better of the Eastern Cape-based outfit twice this season, they will be quietly confident about getting their season back on track at their expense.
Before then, they will have a golden opportunity to get closer to quenching their trophy drought when they face Sundowns in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup this coming Sunday.
Amakhosi have already been hit for four the last time they met Sundowns in the quarter-finals of the Carling Knockout competition earlier this season.
They have gone on to lose two further matches against the Brazilians in the league, and despite the unpredictable nature of cup competition still giving them a chance at an unlikely victory, any below-par showing against the consistent force of Sundowns will put another dent in their already tough season.
