Ruthless Chiefs brush aside Magesi to solidify CAF spot

Kaizer Chiefs continued their resurgence in the Betway Premiership with a dominant 4-1 victory over struggling Magesi FC at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday evening.

The victory marks a significant turning point for Chiefs as they have now secured five consecutive wins, scoring 10 goals in their last four outings. This clinical edge is a far cry from the slump that saw them suffer four defeats.

SILVA AND DUBA SET THE TONE FOR CHIEFS

Flavio Silva opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, latching onto a pass from Makabi Lilepo to slot home from the centre of the box. The strike was Silva’s ninth of the season across all competitions and his seventh in the league, moving him into the top five of the Golden Boot race—five goals behind leader Junior Dion.

The lead was doubled just four minutes later when Wandile Duba reacted quickest following a corner to fire home from close range, sending Amakhosi into the break with a comfortable 2-0 cushion.

The visitors didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second stanza. Mduduzi Shabalala added a third in the 62nd minute, finishing a precise move assisted by Reeve Frosler.

Magesi briefly threatened a comeback when Diteboho Mofokeng pulled one back with a header in the 69th minute, but any hopes of a revival were extinguished late on. Khanyisa Mayo, coming off the bench for Silva, grabbed his first goal in Chiefs colours with an 83rd-minute header to put the final nail in the coffin.

TOP THREE-RACE AND SURVIVAL PERMUTATIONS

The result sees Chiefs firmly entrenched in third place with 45 points after 23 games. They have now opened a crucial six-point gap over fourth-placed AmaZulu FC, while holding a game in hand. While the CAF inter-club competition spots look secure, the Soweto giants still trail arch-rivals Orlando Pirates by 10 points in the race for second.

For Magesi FC, the situation remains dire. Rooted to the foot of the table with just 17 points, they are three points adrift of safety, currently occupied by Marumo Gallants (14th). However, the Limpopo side may take slight comfort in the fact that they are within a single win of climbing out of the automatic relegation zone with six games left to play.