Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Mandla Masango scored his fourth Premiership goal of the season as Kaizer Chiefs limped to a 1-0 win over Maritzburg United at FNB Stadium on Saturday night.
Masango scored from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time as Chiefs bagged their seventh consecutive league victory of the season, maintaining their 100 percent start to the 2014/15 campaign.
Following their triumph in last week's MTN8 final in Durban, Chiefs shifted their focus back to league action and secured a win which sends them seven points clear of second-placed Ajax Cape Town, who suffered their first defeat of the season earlier on Saturday.
With all three points in the bag, Stuart Baxter's troops are now the only unbeaten team in the league, while for United, it was a first defeat in four outings.
A scrappy encounter, Chiefs were made to work for their victory against a tricky Team of Choice, who were aiming to end Chiefs' dominant run of 11 straight victories in both league and top eight action.
An incisive breakaway on the half-hour mark should have been converted for Chiefs when Bernard Parker, George Maluleka and Mandla Masango found themselves three-on-one with United's last man in defence.
A poor decision from Maluleka to look for the pass rather than a shot saw the chance come and go as the Amakhosi supporters began to voice their frustrations at the lack of goalmouth action.
The crowd were made to wait until the second minute of additional time for the deadlock to be broken as Masango converted from the spot, following Abel Mabaso's challenge on Tsepo Masilela.
A dubious-looking call to award the penalty from referee Phillip Tinyani did little to impress United tactician Steve Komphela, who was already making his way up the tunnel for the interval when the whistle rang and the spot-kick was awarded.
The late flurry led the teams into the break following a largely uneventful opening period, a trend which continued well into the second 45.
Neither team looked like sparking any sort of flame at the right end of the pitch and a lone , wayward, Masilela volley would provide the stadium with a rare piece of action.
Masango came close after 70 minutes with a long-range effort but a solid palm away from United goalkeeper Virgil Vries thwarted the Bafana Bafana winger, before a foul on Vries from the subsequent corner denied Amakhosi in a promising position.
