Al Masry edge Kaizer Chiefs in Confederation Cup group stage opener

Kaizer Chiefs started their CAF Confederation Cup group-stage campaign on a sour note after they were beaten 2–1 by Al Masry at the Suez Stadium in Egypt on Sunday night.

Chiefs are pointless in Group D and will hope to turn their fortunes around in their next game at home to another Egyptian side, Zamalek, at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.

This was not the ideal result for Amakhosi, as they not only suffered a loss but also saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. While Chiefs came into this match on a high following those wins, they were under no illusion that Al Masry would be easy to beat.

The hosts proved a tough nut to crack and were spurred on by their vocal supporters, who were in full voice from start to finish.

Al Masry adopted a disciplined approach as they forced Chiefs to play in their own half in the early stages — something that prevented the visitors from applying pressure on goalkeeper Mahmoud Abdelbaky and his defensive unit. Although the hosts dominated possession early on, they could not find the breakthrough, as Abdelbaky’s counterpart Brandon Petersen and Chiefs’ defensive structure were also rock-solid, continuing a season in which they have kept 10 clean sheets and conceded only six goals across all competitions.

As the game progressed, Chiefs started to see more of the ball, with Mduduzi Shabalala, Etiosa Ighodaro and Pule Mmodi applying pressure on Al Masry’s defence. But they, too, could not find the lead as their final product lacked a clinical edge.

Shabalala, who knows he must impress consistently to break into the Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next month, was relatively quiet for large parts of the match — a reality that certainly did not augur well for his aspirations.

The hosts returned with vigour in the second half and nearly found the breakthrough when their attacker leapt high to meet a cross, drawing a brilliant save from Petersen, who tipped the header to safety. Al Masry did not despair. They continued applying pressure on Chiefs and were nearly rewarded again as Petersen was called into another save, tipping away a hard, low strike.

The Green Eagles appealed for a penalty after the ball struck Bradley Cross’ arm, but referee Washington Dolo waved play on. It was the correct decision, as Cross’ arm was in a natural position.

After pulling off those two early second-half saves, Petersen turned villain when he conceded a penalty for clamping the legs of an Al Masry attacker, and Dolo did not hesitate to point to the spot. Bonheur Mugisha fired the ball underneath Petersen with power and precision.

Chiefs coach Khalil Ben Youssef introduced fresh legs, bringing on Mfundo Vilakazi and Asanele Velebayi for Mmodi and Ashley du Preez, who had been passengers for much of the match. Vilakazi made an instant impact. He played through Dillan Solomons, whose clever footwork saw him cut inside before positioning himself in front of goal and striking a low shot that left Abdelbaky flat-footed.

Chiefs huffed and puffed in search of a lead — and possibly a win — as they introduced Flavio Silva, who had scored in his previous three matches from the bench. But it was not to be: Mohamed Hashem struck late to hand his team three invaluable points.

SCORES

AL MASRY (0) 2

Mugisha 59-pen, Hashem 87

KAIZER CHIEFS (0) 1

Solomons 69