Chiefs Draw After Ighodaro's Late Goal in Pre-Season

Behind closed doors, with no crowd noise and precious little information leaking out, Kaizer Chiefs’ latest pre-season outing still managed to tell a familiar story: promise in patches, but no killer finish.

What is known is simple enough. Etiosa Ighodaro, the new striker tasked with sharpening Amakhosi’s attack, did what he was brought in to do. In the 77th minute he found the breakthrough, putting Chiefs 1–0 up and seemingly steering them towards a tidy, confidence-building win.

The lead didn’t last.

With the game drifting towards full-time, Chiefs switched off. In the 89th minute, Findlay Curtis punished them, beating new goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner with a dipping effort that dropped wickedly into the far corner. One long ball, one lapse, and a solid evening’s work was reduced to a 1–1 draw.

New Faces, Old Frustrations

Cavin Johnson’s starting XI offered a glimpse of the structure he is building. Bruce Bvuma’s usual understudy, Brandon Petersen, captained the side from goal, with a back line of Monyane, Mako, Miguel, and Msimango in front of him. Ndlovu and Maboe anchored midfield, while Baartman, Vilakazi, Chislett, and Silva carried the creative and attacking load.

The second half turned into a rolling showcase of fresh legs and fresh auditions.

Leaner, one of the headline arrivals, replaced Petersen and soon found himself at the heart of the decisive moment, beaten late by Curtis’ strike. Pule Mmodi, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Zitha Kwinika, Asanele Velebayi, Reeve Frosler and Kabelo Nkgwesa all saw minutes, a clear sign that the technical team is using this phase to probe depth and combinations rather than chase spotless results.

Ighodaro’s goal will encourage the camp. For a club that has laboured in front of goal in recent seasons, seeing a new No. 9 hit the net, even in a low-key friendly, matters. The sting lies in the way the game slipped away at the end, underlining that defensive concentration remains a live issue.

Saudi Test, Spanish Checkpoint

There is no time to dwell on a scrappy draw played in silence.

On 15 July, Chiefs step into a different kind of examination against Al Kholood, who finished 14th in the Saudi Pro League last season. The Saudi side will test Chiefs’ fitness, tempo, and defensive organisation against a style they do not often face.

Three days later, the level jumps again. Elche CF await on 18 July, fresh from finishing 15th in LaLiga and surviving by a single point. That narrow escape tells its own story: Elche know how to scrap, how to manage tight margins, how to close out games that hang in the balance.

Exactly the kind of habit Chiefs are still trying to rediscover.

Behind closed doors, with only fragments emerging, one theme already stands out from this pre-season: Amakhosi can create and they can score — but will they learn to hold a lead when it matters most?