Ekstein marked his return to the side with a goal that set Chiefs on their way to a resounding 2-0 victory over Cape Town City in their Nedbank Cup quarterfinal, after missing their last two matches amid off-the-field issues.
These issues involve ongoing contract negotiations with the club, as his current deal nears its expiry at the end of June, and indications are that the two parties have yet to find each other.
But despite this, the 28-year-old, who has finally shown something of real worth under coach Ernst Middendorp, managed to rise to the occasion in his performance on the pitch.
“That was nice. However, it’s important to point out that I don’t do all the work on my own, scoring a goal is a [result of] team effort,” said Ekstein on his club’s website.
“It was a good overall performance from the team. I rooted for Kaizer Chiefs from a young age and that’s also why I want to make the supporters happy every time I enter the pitch.”
This evening (18h00) they will square off with relegation-threatened Baroka, who are now just one point off the foot of the table, and Ekstein is wary of the threat they pose out of desperation to survive the drop.
“It means that Baroka will come out fighting. They play a very physical game and they can run,” he noted.
“They will be highly motivated to play against us. But we will make them run for their money, as we are definitely eyeing victory. We want the three points.”