Brandon Petersen the hero as Kaizer Chiefs progress in CAF Confederation Cup

Kaizer Chiefs clawed their way into the final round of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary qualifiers after defeating Kabuscorp 5-4 on penalties in the second leg of their first round qualifier.

Chiefs won 1-0 at home on Saturday afternoon at FNB Stadium, cancelling out the 1-0 defeat in Angola last week.

The win will bring a sigh of relief to Amakhosi. They’ve been under scrutiny in the last few days after suspending head coach Nasreddine Nabi and handing the reins to his former lieutenants Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef.

Kaze explained in the pre-match press conference that they have Nabi's blessing, which is why they stayed put at the club. They aim to reach the next round of qualifiers to make him and the club proud.

And boy, they did just that. Chiefs converted all their penalties after the tie ended 1-1 over 180 minutes, while Brandon Petersen came to the team’s rescue, saving the second penalty during the shootout.

Chiefs will now turn their focus to the mid-week league clash, where they’ll host AmaZulu, led by former club legend and coach Arthur Zwane. After that, they’ll face Stellenbosch FC in the first round of the Carling Knockout on Sunday at Cape Town Stadium.

Chiefs haven’t been at their best in continental football since winning the Mandela Cup, which was a precursor to the Confederation Cup. So much so that their run to the Champions League final in 2020 was widely regarded as a fluke.

Entering this season, Chiefs faithful were all focused on the team improving after last season’s ninth-place finish and Nedbank Cup, with a limited number aspiring to dominate the continent by winning the Confederation Cup.

Such was their start to this competition that when they lost in the first leg in Angola, their campaign seemed dead and buried. But Chiefs showed a spirit of revival in this game, particularly in the first half, where they scored the opening goal and headed into halftime ahead. They ultimately won on penalties.

The partly dark Johannesburg skies — coupled with Mduduzi Shabalala’s revamped black cut after he ditched the blonde hair due to public outcry, including from staunch Chiefs supporter and musician Oscar Mbo — made it seem initially that Chiefs’ luck was not on their side.

The Chiefs starting lineup was not convincing either — almost as blurry as incoming opposing evidence or a witness in the Madlanga Commission. For instance, Chiefs handed Dillan Solomons his first start and appearance of the season.

But boy, Chiefs showed resilience and hunger to win the match. They started well. So much so that Pule Mmodi forced a save out of Anselmo Mweni as Chiefs wanted to light up the day, almost bringing back the flair of Heritage Day.

It appeared that Kabuscorp were not folding to Chiefs' demands — almost the same way that they refused to adhere to the transportation, accommodation, and time schedule for the pre-match press conference after arriving late.

Their coach Robert Bianchi didn’t stop there. He conceded a yellow card after punching a ball—which was headed for a throw-in — away to the stands.

The Brazilian didn’t stop there. He made an early substitute in the first half, showing his intention to plug loopholes. But it seemed that this Chiefs team was not ready to back down, launching attack after attack.

They also came close to finding the net after Nkosingiphile Ngcobo put through Makabi Lilepo, but the latter hit the side netting.

Chiefs didn’t stop applying the pressure, though. And that paid off as Solomons proved his worth to start, hitting a thunderbolt that Mweni parried to Lilepo, who needed no second invitation as he buried the effort home.

That goal animated Chiefs, and co-interim coach Cedric Kaze, who ran behind the dugout to hype up the fans. It must have meant the world to Kaze and Ben Youssef, especially after being scrutinised as worthy leaders for the game.

Kaze and Youssef made several changes in the second half, including bringing in substitute Flavio Silva. Silva tried to make the most of it, unleashing a shot at goal from near range, but that was saved by Mweni.

But that didn’t pay off. They had to take the game to penalties where Aden McCarthy slotted home the final kick to send Chiefs through to the next round.