17 February 2020, by: Thabang Kgeledi

PSL Talking Points – Matchday 22

Stellenbosch crush Supersports championship hopes, Maritzburg United do the chasing pack favour, and Daniel Akpeyi makes Ernst Middendorp’s job difficult.

Check out these and a couple more talking points in another drama-filled Absa Premiership weekend.

Rookies Stellenbosch put the final dagger into Supersport’s title-winning hopes when they beat Matsatsantsa 1-0 on Friday evening. It’s now safe to say Supersport are out of the championship race. It’s also safe to say that nobody expected Supersport to win the league in the first place. They are mathematically still in it. But, the probability of them winning the rest of their games and the three teams above them losing and drawing theirs, is highly improbable.

It’s been a mix bag season for Supersport. The highlights were making it to the Telkom Knockout final, good wins against the likes of Kaizer Chiefs, and reviving Thamsanqa Gabuza’s career. The lowlights were losing the Telkom Knockout final, losses against the likes of Polokwane City, and still having Thamsanqa Gabuza in their team after 6 months.

The season isn’t over yet. Kaitano Tembo’s men will finish the season without a trophy after being knockout out of the Nedbank Cup last weekend but they still have a chance to finish in a top-four position.

Maritzburg United have turned into Kaizer Chiefs’ hoodoo team. Amakhosi have failed to beat United in their last three games. Saturday night proved to be another night Maritzburg got the better of them, beating them with a 2-1 scoreline.

Chiefs went into the new year with a 10 point lead at the top of the PSL table. Their excellent form dipped. They dropped points against Supersport United, Black Leopards, and now Maritzburg United. Their loss against The Team of Choice has made the title race interesting. It actual fact, it has made it exciting. Kaizer Chiefs are now six points ahead of second placed Orlando Pirates and seven points ahead of third placed Mamelodi Sundowns. Downs could cut it to only four if they win their game in hand.

Kaizer Chiefs have Orlando Pirates, Sundowns, Bidvest Wits (twice) still play. A championship that once upon a time looked all but sealed is now looking uncertain.

Daniel Akpeyi has been Kaizer Chiefs first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of the season. This is in spite Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune being healthy and ready to play. Daniel Akpeyi was signed in January of 2019 because Itumeleng Khune had injured his shoulder. It was goalkeeping my committee as Virgil Vries, Bruce Bvuma, and Daniel Akpeyi shared the goalkeeping duties in the second half of last reason.

This season Middendorp has put his faith in the Akpeyi to be his number one and the Nigerian goalkeeper has not disappointed. Well… Not until Saturday night. Daniel Akpeyi came out of his area for a ball on the right-hand side, he missed the tackle, Maritzburg’s Tebogo Tlolane snapped the ball up, played in a cross, Daylon Claasen volleyed into the goalkeeper-less poles. Pressure has been mounting for Middendorp to put Khune back in the team but German coach has not budged. It is only one mistake but Daniel Akpeyi is prone to making costly errors. Can Ernst Middendorp and Chiefs afford for their goalkeeper to make another mistake in a tight title race?

Orlando Pirates came away 1-0 winners against Black Leopards thanks to an outrageous own goal. Pirates and Black Leopards put on a footballing spectacle on Sunday afternoon. The game had goalmouth action, incredible saves, and, of course, a beauty of an own goal that is worthy of the goal of the month award. In the 90th minute, Vincent Pule played in a cross from the left flank, it met the head of Leopards defender Thabiso Mokoena, it looped over the goalkeeper into the back of the net.

Pirates are six points behind league leaders Chiefs but have played a game more than their Soweto rivals. Both teams are on a collision course with each other with the derby being a couple of weeks away. Pirates are now 6 out of 6, they are playing well, and it seems as though luck is also on their side. Chiefs should be worried.

It was a tough weekend for the bottom four teams in the league. All of them but Polokwane City lost their games. The 13th and 16th place are separated by goal difference.

Baroka (13) went 1-0 down to Bidvest Wits. Black leopards (14) lost 1-0 to Orlando Pirates. Polokwane City (15) won their game 3-2 against Cape Town City. Amazulu (16) lost 1-2 to Golden Arrows in the KZN derby.

If you thought the title race was tight, the race of who is getting booted out the league is even tighter. All four teams have their fate in their own hands. Their survival depends on how they react to the pressure.

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