I-KAIZER Chiefs igcine yehlele ngezansi ngodaba lomdlali, uMfundo Vilakazi, ozophuthwa yimidlalo embili yaleli qembu.
Namuhla ngoLwesithathu, iChiefs izobhekana naMaZulu emdlalweni we-Betway Premiership ngo-7.30 ebusuku, eMoses Mabhida Stadium eThekwini, engekho esikimini sayo uVilakazi osekhempini yesikwati sika-Under 20.
NgoMgqibelo, lo mdlali oyintandokazi yabalandeli baMakhosi, uzobe engekho futhi uma esegadulisana neMamelodi Sundowns eFNB Stadium emdlalweni weligi.
UVilakazi (18) uyena owashayela leli qembu igoli elanqoba ngalo kwiMarumo Gallants emdlalweni wokuvula isizini, lidlula ngo 2-1.
Ngesonto eledlule, bekulindeleke ukuthi iChiefs ithathe isinqumo ngoVilakazi emuva kokuthola ukuthi ufakiwe esikwatini somqeqeshi uRaymond Mdaka esizodlala emqhudelwaneni iCosafa Championships ozoqala namuhla eMozambique.
Umthombo ongaphakathi kwiSafa ukuqinisekisile ukuthi uVilakazi ukhona ekhempini yeqembu lesizwe eqale ngoMsombuluko.
“IChiefs igcine imdedelile uVilakazi. Bekunzima ngoba inemidlalo emibili emqoka elandelana eduze futhi ibingakufihli ukuthi iyamdinga. Kodwa ke ngiyakuqonda ukuthi kungani bekunzima ukumdedela. Amaqembu yiwona aholela laba badlali ekugcineni. Kodwa umthetho uyawaphoqa ukuthi ubadedele abadlali uma bedingwa yiqembu lesizwe,” kusho umthombo.
UVina Maphosa uthe bazobazisa abalandeli njengokwejwayelekile.
IChiefs izodlala okokuqala eThekwini selokhu izintambo zokuqeqesha zanikezwa umqeqeshi omusha uNasreddine Nabi. Lokhu kusho ukuthi uzohlangana okokuqala nabalandeli baKwaZulu-Natal abajwayele ukungakufihli ukungenami kwabo ngomqeqeshi uma izinto zingahambi ngendlela abafisa ngayo.
Ukutheleka kwaMakhosi eThekwini ngaphandle kukaVilakazi, kusho ukuthi uNabi kufanele aqhamuke neliye iqhinga lokushintsha umdlalo uma sekudingeka. Ngaphandle kukaNabi, abalandeli beChiefs bazobona ensimini okokuqala abadlali abasha baleli qembu okukhona kubona u-Inacio Miguel wase-Angola oqalayo ukudlala kwi-Betway Premiership njengoba umdlalo wokuqala Amakhosi awudlalela eBloemfontein.
Akubuzwa ukuthi akukho okudingwa ngabalandeli baMakhosi ngaphandle kwamaphuzu amathathu ngaphambi kokubhekana “nezitha zabo” ezinkulu, iSundowns ngempelasonto.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, AmaZulu azongena enkundleni ebheke ukuqoqa amaphuzu amathathu okuqala esizini kulandela ukukhala ngaphansi kwiPolokwane City kowokuvula. Okungenzeka kwenyuse kakhulu ithemba, ikakhulukazi kumqeqeshi uPablo Martin, wukuthi ngesizini edlule bacosha amaphuzu amane kwiChiefs. Emdlalweni womzuliswano wokuqala, bayehlula ngo 1-0 ekuhambeni. Kowomlenze wesibili, badlala nhgokulingama ngo 1-1.