Arrows frustrate Chiefs to a goalless draw - TimesLIVE

Kaizer Chiefs continued to position themselves as this season’s draw kings, playing a goalless draw against Golden Arrows at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It was Chiefs’ fourth draw of the season, while it was the fifth league stalemate for Abafana Bes’thende.

With captain Brandon Petersen, who’d come under a lot of scrutiny for making a series of glaring errors, out for at least four weeks with a knee injury, Renaldo Leaner started in goals for Chiefs, making his debut for the club after joining from Sekhukhune United before the season started.

Leaner was called to action as early as the ninth minute, pulling out a great reflex save to deny Junior Dion, who’d moved acrobatically to volley a brilliant cross by Philani Khumalo.

Dion agonisingly could not get to the end of Sithole’s inch-perfect cross in the 21st minute.

Referee Jelly Chavani awarded Chiefs a penalty when Arrows defender Ntandoyenkosi Mabasa tripped Faiz Abraham in the 31st minute. Abafana Bes’thende goalkeeper Thakasani Mbanjwa produced a brilliant one-hand save to deny Lebohang Maboe from 12 yards.

Maboe would later be stretchered off with what looked like a hamstring strain early in the second half. Adolf Mtasingwa replaced him.

Apart from the missed penalty, Amakhosi didn’t really create clear- cut chances in the first half, albeit they made more box entries than Arrows.

Pule Mmodi and Abraham found joy on the flanks for Chiefs but the absence for a target man inside the box rather complicated things as the pair were forced to hold onto the ball for long, resulting in them being dispossessed in most instances.

Chiefs finally introduced a target man midway through the second half in Godspower Ighodaro, but it was just not meant to be as opportunities proved hard to come by. In fact, it were Arrows who created a few chances towards the end of the match, with the biggest one falling for Thokozani Khumalo, who missed a sitter from a close range in the 90th minute.