Kaizer Chiefs stumbled to a shock and costly 2-1 defeat against Stellenbosch FC in their Betway Premiership encounter at FNB Stadium on Tuesday evening.
As a result, Amakhosi are now eight points behind new log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, albeit with a game in hand.
The Glamour Boys missed a golden opportunity to slash the gap to just five points.
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Let’s take a look at which Kaizer Chiefs players flopped – and could be fearing the axe – as well as which Amakhosi players went down fighting in defeat.
CHIEFS STARS WHO FLOPPED AGAINST STELLENBOSCH FC
Dillan Solomons – 5.5/10
Energetic going forward, but defensively exposed at times. He left plenty of space down the left side for Stellies to run into and whip in crosses from. He also struggled when Stellenbosch increased the tempo after the break.
Paseka Mako – 5.5/10
The Kaizer Chiefs left-back looked vulnerable on defence, often leaving space for Devin Titus to run into. He also did not offer much on the counter for Amakhosi. This was definitely not one of Mako’s more memorable performances for the club.
Lebohang Maboe – 6/10
Had a quiet game when it came to winning balls back. More importantly, he struggled to transition from defence into attack and lacked his usual creative spark.
Ashley du Preez – 6/10
Du Preez worked hard but was well marked. He made no meaningful goal contributions and could not find much space as he was isolated by the Stellies defence all evening.
Ultimately, the above players all performed below the high standards they have set for themselves this season.
It will be interesting to see whether or not co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef drop any of them for the Soweto derby showdown on Saturday, 28 February (15:30).
AMAKHOSI STARS WHO WERE BRAVE IN DEFEAT
Flavia Silva – 7/10
Silva looked lively and played with energy and enthusiasm. He opened the scoring for Kaizer Chiefs with a good finish and caused problems for Stellies’ defenders more than a couple of times with his well-timed runs and dribbling. He was definitely Amakhosi’s best player on the night.
Glody Lilepo – 6.5/10
He provided the assist for Silva in the first half. Unfortunately, he had a mixed performance as he missed a very good chance as well. He provided plenty of energy in attack too.
One gets the feeling that Silva and Lilepo have probably done enough to start against Orlando Pirates this weekend.
Unless of course, Kaizer Chiefs’ co-coaches opt for Wandile Duba for his added height and Mduduzi Shabalala for more speed on the counter-attack.
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Who was your Kaizer Chiefs stand-out performer against Stellenbosch FC?
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