A stunning late surge saw the Soweto giants snatch victory, with Pule Mmodi and Mfundo Vilakazi netting goals in added time on Saturday evening at the the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha
Vilakazi’s decisive strike, into an unguarded net after the Stellies keeper gambled on a late corner, sealed the dramatic win. However, controversy surrounded the second goal, initially flagged offside, but ultimately awarded after a lengthy referee consultation.
Chiefs had taken an early lead with Inacio Miguel’s penalty, only for Andre De Jong to equalise.
Despite the debate, coach Amakhosi Nabi expressed delight at overcoming a resilient Stellies and keeping their trophy aspirations alive.
“It’s true that everyone is very happy, the supporters all across South Africa,” said Nabi. “But we need to think like a big club, this was a test and we need to concentrate on the next test to go all the way.”
Even after conceding a late equaliser and playing with ten men following Brandon Peterson’s red card, Nabi maintained his belief in his team. He made attacking substitutions to try and win the game.
“It was disappointing [to concede], but we knew that we were playing a very strong and tough team,” he added. “Even after conceding the goal we kept believing that can come back and we were prepared for extra-time.
“That’s why we brought in [Mduduzi] Shabalala and Vilakazi because we were planning for extra-time, planning to give us that extra strength.”