Velebayi strikes late to put Kaizer Chiefs into Carling Knockout semi-finals

Asanele Velebayi scored his first goal for Kaizer Chiefs to complete a 2-1 comeback victory over Siwelele FC and secure a place in the Carling Knockout Cup semi-finals on Sunday night.

The 22-year-old midfielder had a decisive impact after coming off the bench, rewarding head coach Fernando da Cruz’s faith in his patience and commitment despite limited opportunities this season.

Velebayi, formerly of Cape Town Spurs, has continued working to establish himself in the Chiefs team. His late finish against Siwelele provided the sort of contribution Da Cruz expects from players who have not been regular starters.

The Soweto club had fallen behind in the quarter-final, but recovered to level before Velebayi’s intervention sent them into the last four.

Da Cruz said the midfielder’s effort on the training ground had been recognised with his match-winning contribution.

“I’m very happy for Velebayi because he worked a lot at training,” Da Cruz told SuperSport TV.

“He didn’t get a lot of minutes for the moment, but the most important thing is when he comes in to help the team and support the team. Today (Sunday), he offered us the qualification.”

Although satisfied with the result, the French coach felt Kaizer Chiefs should have been ahead before half-time after creating enough chances to take control of the match.

The side was unable to convert those opportunities, leaving the contest level at the interval despite what Da Cruz believed had been a strong first-half performance.

He was encouraged by the way his players responded after the break, particularly in the first 20 minutes of the second half. However, after taking the lead through Velebayi, Chiefs became increasingly anxious as they attempted to protect their advantage.

“The most important thing is the qualification. We made a very good first half and normally deserved to be in front in terms of goals at half-time, but we didn’t do it,” he added.

“In the second half, we had 20 good first minutes and then dropped a little bit. We scored and finished the game afraid, but the most important thing is the qualification.”

The goal gives Velebayi an important opportunity to push for greater involvement in the weeks ahead, while Da Cruz can take encouragement from the impact made by a squad player when called upon.

Kaizer Chiefs will now continue their Carling Knockout Cup campaign in the semi-finals after overcoming Siwelele FC in a match that ultimately turned on Velebayi’s late contribution.