Manenzhe praises Shabalala’s creativity after Chiefs’ draw with Stellenbosch

Former Orlando Pirates striker and football analyst Phumudzo Manenzhe has praised Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala for the creativity behind his equalising goal against Stellenbosch FC.

Shabalala scored in the 58th minute as Chiefs drew 1-1 with Stellenbosch FC at the FNB Stadium on Wednesday, cancelling out Sinoxolo Kwayiba’s opening goal.

The 21-year-old received the ball from Wandile Duba before turning sharply under pressure and producing an unexpected effort which beat Stellenbosch goalkeeper Sage Stevens at his near post.

Speaking on SuperSport TV’s analytical programme ExtraTime, Manenzhe highlighted Shabalala’s decision to avoid the conventional option of shooting across goal.

“I like what Shabalala did,” Manenzhe said.

“A lot of players are taught to go across the goal, and that’s where the defender had closed. So he sees the opening on their near post; he sees that Sage Stephens is not really paying attention to that near post.

“So instead of going the traditional way of across the goal, he says, ‘I’m going to put it in the near post.’ Great creativity coming from Mdu, and he gets the goal.”

The strike provided a moment of individual quality in a match where Chiefs were unable to turn their periods of dominance into victory.

Fernando Da Cruz’s side created a number of chances, particularly late in the game, but had to settle for a point. The result continued a frustrating run in which Chiefs have struggled to secure maximum points despite producing improved performances in spells.

The draw also underlined the club’s difficulty in finding consistency in domestic competition, with promising displays not yet being matched by enough victories.

Chiefs will next focus on their CAF Confederation Cup campaign when they host Zambian side Red Arrows in the second leg of the second preliminary round on Friday.

The match will be played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, where Chiefs must overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit from the first leg to keep their hopes of progressing in the competition alive.

Shabalala’s equaliser offered a positive moment for Da Cruz’s team, but the result leaves Chiefs with a demanding task in their next fixture.