AmaZulu secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Durban City in their final match of the season at the Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday, with Nkosikhona Radebe’s 75th-minute header proving to be the decisive goal. Despite the loss, Durban City managed to hang on to a Top 8 spot, finishing the league campaign with 10 games without a win.
Durban City’s Struggles
The home side’s midfield unit and dynamic wingers did exceptionally well to cut past the AmaZulu backline and ask highly dangerous questions of the visitors’ defence in the opening minutes of the clash. However, AmaZulu’s solitary option to transition into attack was limited to long aerial balls, which Siphamandla Ncanana and Mfanafuthi Mkhize dealt with comfortably and effectively.
Usuthu finally consolidated tactical control around the 20-minute mark and started pushing forward into the final third with some slick, sequential passing. AmaZulu quickly seized the momentum, swinging the contest back in their favour and missing two clear-cut chances at goal in a rapid sequence. Athini Makaqola proved to be an absolute nightmare for the Durban defence, constantly manipulating loose cracks in the backline.
Key Moments
Durban were incredibly lucky not to be 2–0 down before the half-hour mark. Makaqola missed another glorious shot on goal after a sharp through-ball completely split the Durban backline. Fortune was clearly on Durban’s side during the opening stanza, having been thoroughly outplayed for large portions of the half.
The game ensued fairly deadlocked in the middle of the pitch from there. Both teams continuously struggled to find a quality final touch to break the deadlock after an hour of intense play. However, following a sustained push into the Durban penalty box, Radebe beautifully headed the ball into the top corner to give Usuthu the lead in the 75th minute.
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- AmaZulu’s victory secured their fourth-place finish in the league
- Durban City’s 10-game winless streak came to an end
- Nkosikhona Radebe’s goal was the decisive factor in the match
