Superior Knowledge two-good
He was always the man with the talent to decide the derby. And Knowledge Musona turned potential into reality on Saturday afternoon, carving a deep hole in Orlando Pirates’ Absa Premiership hopes and in turn, igniting the Amakhosi’s.
Moeneeb Josephs had spoken before this game of Pirates not having a specific plan to take care of Musona. Yet the Buccaneers should have known that laying out a red carpet for the 20-year-old magician, and lighting the way to goal, was not the best of ideas.
Perhaps Pirates were overconfident after taking Chiefs down in the MTN8 semi-finals. Either way they were a defensive mess, three howlers handing Musona and Chiefs a precious three points.
“They punished us for our mistakes,” admitted coach Ruud Krol afterwards.
“Defeat is not nice but you can also learn from your mistakes. The mistakes we made were not normal. Maybe it was over-confidence against Chiefs, thinking ‘we can do it’. It was all ‘hallelujah, hallelujah’ in the papers, but you must always do it on the field.”
Pirates and Chiefs both went into the derby at Soccer City on the back of midweek slip-ups, though the Amakhosi’s was worse, losing at home to Santos while Pirates drew with AmaZulu. Yet it was Chiefs who responded best to the wake-up call, turning in one of the more comprehensive derby performances in recent memory.
“I said after the Santos game that the players were very focused on this game, and fortunately it was like that,” said Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic. “…when you beat Pirates 3-1 you cannot say which aspect of the team was better. I am completely satisfied with our performance today. This was our third game against Pirates, and after the (MTN8) defeat, our players showed that they are mentally strong.”
Vermezovic, if he was keen not to single out any players, did speak of how Musona has come into his own this season.
“Last season I was very careful with him, because young players can get lost,” he said. “This season is more difficult, because everyone knows him, but he is a big talent. He’s a good worker, and a nice guy, and I think he has a bright future. I can’t say if he will be top scorer, but he is a good player and a good goalscorer.”
Musona was at the heart of all three of Chiefs’ goals, though he was helped by abject Pirates defending. First, Lucky Lekgwathi gifted him possession on the edge of the box, and Musona responded by gliding past the Bucs leftback and providing a cross that Daine Klate could only steer into his own net.
Then Musona stitched up Lekgwathi again, the 34-year-old’s clumsy challenge hauling down his young adversary inside the box. Musona made no mistake with the spot-kick.
Finally, just after the hour mark, a long punt from Khune caused comical confusion in the Bucs defence, and Musona was on hand to nod into an empty net. Ezenwa Otorogu got a late strike for Pirates, but it was far too little, far too late, and they now trail their Soweto rivals by five points.
Both sides will now get themselves ready for their Telkom Knockout semi-finals this weekend, though with an international week in the meantime, it will not be easy.
“The next game will be very difficult for us,” said Vladimir Vermezovic of his side’s semifinal against Santos.
“We have seven players going to different national teams. We just have to fight.” - The Star