Kaizer Chiefs will come away from the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit with a sense of injustice after having a seemingly legitimate first-half goal disallowed in their 0-0 Betway Premiership draw against TS Galaxy in their final outing of 2025 on Sunday.
That said, Amakhosi enjoyed sufficient superiority in virtually all facets of the game that they ought t o have won comfortably had they converted the numerous chances they created, despite feeling aggrieved at the decision that cancelled out Flavio Da Silva’s fine finish.
The result means that Chiefs finish the year in fourth spot in the league standings, with 24 points from 13 rounds.
The atmosphere inside the Mbombela stadium was nothing short of electric as the game got underway to a cacophony of chanting and singing and it seemed to spur the players into immediate action.
Chiefs responded accordingly, attacking straight from the kick-off, with Mfundo Vilakazi running directly at the Rockets defence. Looking lively, the youngster had a shot saved in the 5th minute and then fired agonisingly wide a minute later.
The energetic action continued with sharp passing and quick movement, particularly down the right flank, where Vilakazi and Dillan Solomons have cultivated a good mutual understanding in combination.
Amakhosi were cruelly denied the opening goal of the game in the 19th minute when Flavio Da Silva was released behind the TS Galaxy defence and confidently slotted the ball into the net, only to be foiled by the referee’s assistant Lubabalo Pitsha’s offside flag. Television replays indicated that Da Silva was undoubtedly onside when George Matlou made his defence-splitting pass and the goal ought to have stood.
On the half-hour mark, Vilakazi forced, Tape Ira into another save from a direct free kick and the Rockets goalkeeper was scrambling to save Da Sliva’s header a minute later after Phaseka Mako found the striker with a cross. Two minutes later, he had to move smartly to his right to keep Khanyisa Mayo’s header out as Amakhosi relentlessly sought the goal that would cap a dominant first-half performance.
Lebohang Maboe found Mayo’s run into the inside right channel in the 36th minute and he set up Mduduzi Shabalala with a clever short pass, but Ira was there to block the shot at the near post.
Moments later, Mayo could not believe he hadn’t scored when his powerful header met Solomons’ cross perfectly, but was somehow kept out by Ira at point-blank range, to the shock and amazement of everyone present.
At the other end, on a rare break Galaxy striker, Junior Zindoga found space but was brilliantly tackled by Solomons as he shaped to shoot at goal.
That brought a close to a goalless, though thrilling, first half in which the Glamour Boys could quire easily have been three or four goals ahead.
