Staff Reporter.
Kaizer Chiefs missed the chance to secure a Top 8 spot in the 2024/25 Betway Premiership after playing to a 0-0 draw against Polokwane Cityat the FNB stadium.
Chiefs needed victory on the final day of the season to ensure they would not have to rely on results elsewhere, having gone into the match level with Chippa United (8th) on 31 points in ninth place.
However, Richards Bay pipped them to eighth spot courtesy of a 2-0 win over SuperSport United which meant that Amakhosi missed out on the Wafa Wafa competition for the second year running.
Both teams were looking to finish the campaign on a positive note, with the Glamour Boys winless in their last eight games after drawing 2-2 at Sekhukhune United on 17 May, while Polokwane had picked up just two points from their last five matches and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Cape Town City most recently.
The hosts bossed possession in the first half and came closest to breaking the deadlock, but luck was not on their side as the woodwork denied them on two occasions.
Dillon Solomons saw his shot come back off the post on 20 minutes and Brian Bwire did well to keep the ball out when Chiefs reacted fastest to the rebound.
The Soweto giants went close again five minutes before half time from a free-kick which found its way to Edmilson Dove, whose header brushed the top of the crossbar.
Nabi opted to make his first change moments later in a bid to get that all-important first goal, with the ineffective Tashreeq Morris making way for Ashley Du Preez.
Chiefs continued to enjoy the lion’s share of the possession in the second half, although the Limpopo outfit made a bright start and Bonginkosi Dlamini should have opened the scoring after being set up by Ndamulelo Maphangule, only to make a hash of his chance.
Du Preez had a sniff at goal after advancing into the area from the right, but he failed to beat Bwire from a tight angle.
The Nedbank Cup champions piled on the pressure in the closing stages, but lacked the final product and had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Meanwhile Stellenbosch FC claimed third place in the Betway Premiership standings after the ‘final’ matchday of the 2024-25 season, while Cape Town City sneaked out of the relegation zone.
Stellies claimed third place – and qualification for next season’s CAF Confederation Cup – thanks to fourth-placed Sekhukhune United losing 3-2 away to Golden Arrows at the Princess Magogo Stadium.
The win also guaranteed safety for Arrows.
Cape Town City, meanwhile, have Richards Bay to thank for their rise out of the relegation playoff zone, as the Natal Rich Boyz handed SuperSport United a 2-0 defeat at the Peter Mokaba Stadium (goals from Yanela Mbuthuma and Thulani Gumede).
The result has seen Matsatsantsa slip into the relegation playoff berth, and their fate will depend on the outcome of their abandoned match against Golden Arrows from way back in February.
At the Moses Mabhida Stadium, AmaZulu FC and Orlando Pirates played out a 1-1 draw, with Patrick Maswanganyi scoring an own goal, before Simphiwe Selepe levelled for the Buccaneers.
The final scheduled Premiership match will see Orlando Pirates host Magesi FC in Soweto on Wednesday. 28 May.
As things stand, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates (both qualify for the CAF Champions League), Stellenbosch FC (qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup), Sekhukhune United, TS Galaxy, AmaZulu, Polokwane City and Richards Bay will play in the MTN8 next season, while SuperSport United are set to enter into the promotion/relegation playoffs.