May 22, 2021 - 05:04 pm By Staff Reporter
Kaizer Chiefs survived an onslaught from Simba SC to advance to the CAF Champions League semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.
Leonardo Castro, who came on early in the first half last Saturday,, was handed a start up top by the Amakhosi alongside Samir Nurkovic and Lebogang Manyama.
Simba targeted an early breakthrough from a shot around the area by Mzamiru Yassin, but he went over the top before goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma smothered the host from a corner-kick.
The Amakhosi didn’t wait long to come alive as a few minutes before the midway stage Manyama followed by Nurkovic asked questions of the defence with smartly taken shots in on goal.
The other three bookings were against TTM, AmaZulu and Black Leopards.
Blom started and completed Amakhosi’s impressive 1-0 win over Wydad Casablanca on Saturday and even though Hunt has other options such as Willard Katsande, Anthony Akumu Agay and Kearyn Baccus, who can play in Blom s position, the coach has had a preference for the youngster this season and rates him highly. Njabulo Blom was Man of the Match, fantastic you know, Hunt said after the Pirates win. He s got energy, he s got legs, it s what we need, he s got the desire, we just have to get him better, but he ll get better.
Blom blow for Kaizer Chiefs ahead of Stellenbosch FC clash goal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from goal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The likes of Deon Hotto, Thabiso Monyane and Thembinkosi Lorch also remain sidelined.
Apart from Monare, Maela and Hlatshwayo, two other Pirates players - Ben Motshwari and Vincent Pule - were also in the national team squad which travelled across the continent to Sudan last week.
Hotto, meanwhile, is integral to the Namibian side and Gabadinho Mhango is an important part of the Malawi team, when fit.
The vast array of Pirates’ internationals, some of whom are now injured, is in contrast to the situation at Kaizer Chiefs.
From Chiefs’ starting XI against Wydad Casablanca in the Caf Champions League on Saturday, it was only Itumeleng Khune who had been involved internationally recently – he was an unused sub in the 2-1 defeat in Sudan, and it was debatable if the veteran’s place in the Bafana squad had been deserved in the first place, after what has been an erratic season.
Compared to Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates success this season has come back to haunt them goal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from goal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.