Pule Mmodi scores a brace as Chiefs get off the mark in the league

Pule Mmodi scored a brace to give Kaizer Chiefs their first victory in the DStv Premiership in the 2023-2024 season after three previous attempts had put Molefi Ntseki’s job on the line with the side gaining one point out of nine.

Chiefs defeated AmaZulu FC 3-0 with the other goal being scored by Edson Castillo at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

With this win Chiefs arrested their recent bad run against AmaZulu FC but their victory was far from emphatic, and it won’t leave Mamelodi Sundowns shaking in their boots as they’re the next to visit Amakhosi here on Saturday.

Importantly, though, Chiefs coach Ntseki will breathe a huge sigh of relief after registering his first league victory even if it came after four matches and with pressure starting to mount against him.

Some angry Chiefs fans pelted him with missiles when they lost 1-0 to TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga last week. 

Ntseki’s team will have to up their game if they’re to beat Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal on Saturday.

Chiefs have already lost 2-1 against Sundowns in the league and their display here was far from clinical against a Durban side that hardly gave them a decent challenge.

Sundowns have won all six of their matches in all competitions this season and will come to Saturday’s game as overwhelming favourites against a Chiefs side that’s been stuttering since the start of the 2023-2024 season.   

New signing Mmodi gave Chiefs a 4th minute lead when Usuthu failed to clear their lines after a counterattacking game that Chiefs employed using mostly Ashley du Preez.

Mmodi earned his brace in the 59th minute, finishing a delightful move that ended with Tebogo Potsane setting the former Lamontville Golden Arrows winger up with a cheeky back heel inside the area as the Usuthu defence went to sleep. 

Castillo completed Usuthu’s rout when he headed in Dillan Solomon’s corner kick with three minutes remaining on the clock. 

AmaZulu beat Chiefs 4-0 in Durban in January when they last met in the league and they held Chiefs to a 0-0 in the first-round last season. But in this match AmaZulu struggled to take a few chances they had before Chiefs recovered and killed off the game.     

Having started this campaign with three goalless draws under new Spanish coach Pablo Franco Martin, Usuthu were desperate to register their first goal and victory against Chiefs.

But their disjointed display could not hurt a Chiefs team that is also yet to convince this season.

With Ranga Chivaviro injured, Ntseki started this match without an outright striker. The plan was to use Potsane, Mmodi and Du Preez to run at the Usuthu defence and create the openings.

While Ntseki’s plan seemed to work, it was when Chiefs had to recover the ball that they were found wanting and bailed out of trouble a couple of times by their skipper and goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.