Itumeleng Khune hero of the shoot-out as Kaizer Chiefs edge past Stellies

Itumeleng Khune was the hero for Kaizer Chiefs as he saved two penalties in the shoot-out to see his team through to the semifinals of the MTN8, knocking out Stellenbosch FC at a jam-packed Danie Craven Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Veteran former Bafana Bafana No.1 Khune has not played for some time and his return to action was crowned with a winning performance.

Chiefs won the quarterfinal shoot-out 4-3, after the two teams toiled to a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of action.

Tickets were sold out and there was a 30-minute delay with fans arriving late and entering the venue in droves. The delay was for the safety of the supporters and to prevent them rushing into the stadium, which could have caused a stampede.

Reports suggest that 15,000 tickets were sold for the tiny stadium that has a capacity of 17,000 and it was always going to be a challenge for the home side to maintain order and provide adequate security.

Things also got a little out of hand after Chiefs equalised and some fans stormed onto the pitch. The referee was left with no choice but to wait until order was restored.

Stellies will have to answer to the league as to why and how things turned out poorly organised on the day. They may want to take such a huge fixture to a bigger and more practical Cape stadium next time.

But when the match finally got under way it was Stellies who set the tempo and the pace. Chiefs struggled to cope with the home side’s domination and as a result, their chances came few and far in between.

Stellies had two shots on target in the opening 45 minutes, while Amakhosi had none.

Junior Mendieta was the first to threaten Chiefs after he connected a delicious diagonal pass from Siboniseni Mthethwa but Argentinian fluffed his shot and Amakhosi regrouped. Chiefs survived another scare from a goal-bound corner that was cleared off the line by Dillan Solomons. Sihle Nduli’s powerful header bumped the crossbar from a pinpoint pass from Nhlanhla Mgaga.

Part of Chiefs’ problem was the struggling attacking duo of Keagan Dolly and Khama Billiat. Dolly was forced to backtrack and to defend and this restricted Amakhosi’s attack, especially with Billiat not offering anything going forward.

Moments back from the break, Stellenbosch drew first blood when Nduli rolled the ball into the net in the 48th minute after unselfish play from Jayden Adams, who could have scored the goal himself. Adams stole the ball from centreback Njabulo Ngcobo and parted the defence for the ever-ready Nduli who slotted home.

Ten minutes later Ashley du Preez equalised against his former club after a shocking mistake from Stellies goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt and Oshwin Andries. Du Preez easily tapped the ball into the net after he intercepted Andries’ tame back-pass to Langerveldt.

The match went into extra time and it was uphill for both sets of players who looked exhausted. Games this season have been coming thick and fast and both sides seemed to feel the effects in the added time.

Chiefs midfielder Cole Alexander’s bullet header stopped by Langerveldt was the only notable piece of action in extra time.

Mendieta, Fawaaz Basadien and Mgaga scored Stellies’ penalties, while Deano van Rooyen and Devon Titus missed. For Chiefs, Alexander, Dolly, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and Phathu Nange converted from the spot.