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Chiefs nightmare continues
30/07/2005 18:42 - (SA)
Johannesburg - It was like a bolt of lightning out of the clear blue sky as Bloemfontein Celtic scored the 91st minute, injury-time goal that sent Premier League champions Kaizer Chiefs tumbling out of the Telkom Charity Cup before 70 000 largely shocked spectators at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The decisive winning goal in a 2-1 Celtic victory, which maintained Chiefs' nightmarish start to the new season, was scored from close-range by Moses Spandeel.
But it was the bustling Zambian striker, Rotson Kilambe, on loan from Sundowns, who created much of Chiefs' misery by opening the score from the penalty spot in the 13th minute and then causing pandemonium in Amakhosi's defence before the grateful Spandeel - unlike his namesake - led Celtic into the promised land of a place in the final.
A tentative Chiefs, it should be said, were, nevertheless, responsible for much of their ultimate misery, although the mercurial Songwe Chalwe speedily equalised with a sweetly-timed header only 60 seconds after Celtic's goal.
Amakhosi failed to take advantage of a substantial slice of territorial advantage and they squandered some gilt-edged opportunities, particularly in the first half when Celtic were struggling to find their rhythm.
Losing must indeed have been a bitter pill to swallow for new German coach Ernst Middendorp, particularly coming in the wake of uninspiring performances in the recent Vodacom Challenge tournament, which culminated with a comprehensive defeat in the final against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates.
Like Sundowns coach, Angel Kappa, in the earlier semi-final, Middendorp appeared to select a line-up with one eye on the final, but unlike The Brazilians' coach, the ploy in this instance back-fired badly.
Chalwe was Chiefs' most lethal and enterprising player and he was unlucky when a sweetly-timed shot struck the crossbar in the 20th minute.
And Celtic supporters held their breath when James Madidilane made a heroic clearance off the goalline in the dying seconds.
Celtic goalkeeper Postnett Omony may have been a little slow off the mark when Chiefs scored, but he delivered the goods later with a couple of sterling saves.
- SAPA
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