Sea Robbers shine while Amakhosi keep it clean
For once Kaizer Chiefs won and looked the part but were probably worth more than the lone goal they scored four minutes before the end of Sunday's Premiership match against Sekhukhune United.
The Ivory Coast-capped goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangaré made some outstanding saves – five in all – to deny Chiefs for most of the match, until the substitute Mfundo Vilakazi broke the deadlock.
Chiefs managed a rare clean sheet and Sekhukhune's coach Lehlohonolo Seema praised their hosts afterwards. This is one of the five takeaways from the weekend's domestic footy.
1 Chiefs, minus Nasreddine Nabi, win well and keep a clean sheet
Chiefs coach Nabi is still serving a suspension and sat in the stands at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday. He did his talking before the match and it seemingly worked well, judging by what midfielder Samkelo Zwane said after the game when presented with the Player of the Match award.
He said: “The coach told me that I’m going to play a bit higher, a bit box-to-box, he wants me to play high. So, I just took the instructions and the result came.”
Zwane, in the starting line-up for the first time since November 2024, supplied the assist for Vilakazi's matchwinner.
2 Pirates send out a Champions League warning
Orlando Pirates did the unthinkable to secure the top spot in Group C of the CAF Champions League ahead of Al Ahly, the 12-time champions. Pirates were the only side to complete the Group C campaign undefeated and Saturday's 2-1 over Al Ahly in their Cairo backyard would have sent strong signals that the South Africans will be a force to be reckoned with. Under the reign of Spanish tactician Jose Riveiro, Pirates have been near unbeatable this season.
By topping Group C, Pirates won't face the other group winners and play the teams who finished second, like Mamelodi Sundowns, in the quarter-finals.
3 Sundowns miss out
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was understandably furious after his team conceded a goal in the closing stages of Sunday evening's match against Morocco's AS FAR Rabat at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. After leading 1-0 for most of the game thanks to Peter Shalulile's 13th-minute goal, Sundowns allowed El Amine Zauhzouh to score the equaliser seven minutes from the end.
Had Sundowns won the game, they would have topped the log and seeded for the next round. Instead, there is the possibility that Sundowns could draw Pirates in the next round. South African fans will be hoping that the quarter-final draw which will be conducted in February, will keep the Mzansi sides apart.
🗣 "These types of games are learning curves..."
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) January 19, 2025
Coach Steve Barker says there are lessons to be learned following tonight's defeat in Berkane. pic.twitter.com/zaweHPfHoS
4 Stellies tour from hell ends
Stellenbosch FC closed out their maiden CAF Confed Cup campaign on Sunday with a 5-0 loss to RS Berkane in Morocco. After their arduous trip from Cape Town on Thursday morning the team arrived in Berkane in the early hours of Saturday morning.
After they flew out from Cape Town to Johannesburg, there were further stops at Dubai and Casablanca. They were meant to fly out from Casablanca to Berkane and it is usually a two-hour flight. However, after arriving in Casablanca they learnt that the next flight to Berkane in Eastern Morocco would be 10 hours later.
Instead, Stellenbosch opted for the 10-hour bus ride to Berkane. Stellenbosch were mindful of their midweek fixture and fielded a second-string XI. They will be back in Cape Town on Tuesday and fly out to Durban on Wednesday for the AmaZulu match on Thursday.
Cape Town City continue their resurgence under Ertugral
After their hiccup against Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein, Cape Town City continued their resurgence under Mushin Ertugral with a 2-1 win over Richards Bay at Athlone over the weekend.
City have moved from 13th to fifth place after three wins in four matches at the helm. His outing at Athlone marked a milestone in his managerial career because it marked his 400th game on the bench in South African football.
However, he does not want the City to be carried away because he says: “We need to be honest and say luck went our way in many situations."
Ertugral took over from Eric Tinkler at the end of December.