Kaizer Chiefs were brought back down to earth with a 2-0 defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic in the Macufe Cup on Sunday afternoon. High-riding Amakhosi gave a second start in as many matches to Njabulo Blom, with James Kotei handed his long-awaited debut. The strong opening came from the host side, with Ndumiso Mabena and Harris Tchilimbou specifically piling the pressure on the Glamour Boys. Balance of play soon after invited both sides to a shared possession game, though scoring chances remained to a minimal effect. In trademark fashion, Mabena almost handed Celtic the lead with a free-kick on the edge of the area but Chiefs shot-stopper Bruce Bvuma parried for a corner 25 minutes in. Chiefs struggled to get going with Celtic doing all the probing whilst giving little space to the second-string Soweto giants. However, the Amakhosi finally surrendered four minutes to halftime as Thato Lingwati headed into the far corner from a well-taken delivery. Celtic continued dominating at the restart as Bvuma bailed his side ou with a point-blank save from Mabena's close-range attempt 12 minutes from the break. At the other end though, Siphelele Ntshangase missed a big chance to level matters on 64 minutes as he hoofed over the top after being sent clear. Fresh from a hat-trick just a day ago, Leonardo Castro entered for Ntshangase a minute later, while Tumiso Mogakwe replaced Mabena. Mogakwe proved a crucial change as doubled the lead with a simple tap-in from a free-kick with 15 minutes remaining. Celtic looked promising for a third later but strong saves from Bvuma brought the contest to a close as the former reclaim the title after a four year hiatus. Teams:
Celtic: Chaine, Tani, Ngobeni, Baloyi, Luthuli, Mahashe, Mabena, Phalane, Lingwati, Letsoalo, Tchilimbou. Subs: Phafoli, Fikizolo, Nyamende, Khasipe, Mogakwe, Maema, Kobedi, Sera, Mangweni, Njoti, Letlotlo.
Chiefs: Bvuma, Moleko, Mphahlele, Gordinho, Blom, Kotei, Ntshangase, Mahlasela, Parker, Zuma, Twala. Subs: Molefe, Zulu, Sasman, Matsheke, Katsande, Radebe, Lesako, Sifama, Castro.
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