Kaizer Chiefs-City Live Blog!

By: Thad | July 21st, 2009

City’s second match in the Vodacom Challenge against Kaizer Chiefs is underway and we’ll be live blogging the rest of the action; it is streaming live at www.mcfc.co.uk.

Picking up action in the 12th minute with Gareth Barry’s free kick from the right which is headed just wide by McGivern, who is starting in central defense. McGivern earlier headed over from a corner. It’s been a very bright opening 12 minutes to the match with decent shots on both ends and City showing good attacking presence through Barry, Ireland, and Wright-Phillips.

13th minute. Still 0-0, for the record. City are starting Bridge, McGivern, Mee and Zabaleta across the back with Taylor in goal; DeJong, Barry, Etuhu, Ireland, and Wright-Phillips in midfield, and Caicedo up front.

15th minute. Kaizer have just won a corner down the left but it’s easily cleared. A follow-up shot after an aborted City break ends with a long shot by Chiefs that flies over the crossbar. 55% City possession so far.

18th minute. Ireland plays Caicedo down the left but he’s well-tackled just inside the area. City are in a familiar 4-5-1/4-3-3 with Ireland pulling the strings.

19th minute. Ireland fails to convert a one-on-one–well saved. Bridge made the chance with a nice dribble and ball over the top for Ireland who beat the offside trap. He seemed to dally on his finish. Barry’s corner is easily cleared.

21st minute. Ireland breaks free again but this time he’s a yard offside when Etuhu played the ball.

22nd minute. Bridge’s slightly clumsy challenge results in a free kick and a talking-to, 40 yards from goal. Kaizer move it down the left and win a corner off SWP.

23rd minute. No problems clearing the corner for City.

26th minute. Very sloppy give away by de Jong but Kaizer’s long shot goes wide. On the other end SWP is offside.

28th minute. City let off hook after a quick Kaizer break ends in a bad pass. City had nicely got the ball into the box to Barry who crossed into the keeper’s arms. After the Chiefs break, City came right back to Etuhu who aimlessly knocked a cross over the end line. Very open game but no goals yet…

30th minute. Barry again makes his way into the box with a nice dribble but his low shot isn’t powerful enough to beat the keeper. Nice to see Barry getting involved.

31st minute. Kaizer so nearly score! A cross from the left bounces off McGivern and just wide off Taylor’s right post. Half the crowd thought it was in, as they say….

35th minute. City are hogging the ball but are not producing clear openings at the moment. One feels it’s just a matter of time, however….

37th minute. A long Chiefs shot stuns Stuart Taylor, who can only parry it away–that shot had some good movement on it.

40th minute. SWP plays Zabaleta into the channel his floating cross is easily taken by the keeper.

41th minute. City have now been caught offsides 5 times in this half.

43rd minute. A bizarre moment as Ireland tries to quickly take a free kick from 25 yards but no City teammates are alive to his intentions and the ball goes straight to the keeper.

44th minute. Yellow card for dissent for Caicedo, who was furious the referee didn’t play advantage after SWP was fouled. Bridge fired wide from distance after the resulting free kick. City had a 3 on 2 break when the ref whistled.

45th minute (2nd minute of extra time). GOAL for Stephen Ireland!

Etuhu crossed from the right to Ireland for an easy left foot finish from 6 yards, right on the stroke of halftime. Kaizer had so nearly cut open City right down the middle only moments before, credit City for breaking out well. That’s halftime and City lead, 1-0.

46th. We’re underway in the second half–will report on changes momentarily.

47th minute. Petrov is in and makes his presence felt with a dangerous cross, palmed away by the keeper. It falls to SWP but all he can do is win a corner.

48th minute. McGivern (or was it Mee?) heads over from Barry’s corner. Benjani is on the pitch now for Caicedo. Ireland has also departed.

51st minute. Kaizer had a free kick 25 yards from goal but it trickles weakly past Taylor’s goal. But Kaizer are back at it again and Taylor has to dive smartly to his left to make an excellent save.

52nd minute. Yet another corner for Kaizer–City a bit pinned back just now.

56th minute. Kaizer are going for it with a very attacking mentality but City are coping. Zabaleta makes a nice interception but Benjani is offside on the ensuing through ball.

59th minute. For the record, Etuhu shifted from the left to right flank for this half with SWP playing more centrally in the “Ireland” role. Hasn’t really suited SWP so far.

62nd minute. A long way to go yet but City’s third choice defensive pairing of Mee and McGivern has looked quite steady so far.

63rd minute. On the other hand, City really miss Ireland this half–the Blues lack the same control over the game they had in the first period.

65th. Vidal has come on to play right back with Zabaleta pushing into midfield. Barry has gone off.

67th. There’s a decent City move–the ball spread around nicely around the attacking third before Petrov let fly from a couple of yards outside the box, whizzing the ball just wide of goal.

68th. Etuhu was played in for a brief moment but was closed down quickly at the top of the box before he could do anything with the ball.

72th minute. Garrido now in for Bridge.

74th minute. A break in the action due to a Kaizer injury–camera shows Richard Dunne looking on from the crowd.

75th minute. Finally some meaningful action–Petrov got free on the wing and ended up winning a corner, perhaps could have done even better.

80th minute. Neither side looking dangerous at the moment. Not a lot of urgency either. Etuhu is having a good game however.

81th minute. City off the hook big time! Motaung missed a sitter from about 7 yards after some great work set him up. He went for placement but pushed it wide of the right post. Weiss in for SWP.

84th. Now that was strange–Taylor almost whiffed on an awkward back pass, just getting a piece of it to keep it out of the goal; then Chiefs recovered the ball and fired a hard shot wide from 20 yards.

86th minute. City completely on the back foot at the moment, as another Kaizer shot flies wide. SWP is doing post-match stretches on the sideline.

89th minute. Oh no! Etuhu was in the clear, faked out the keeper, then got the finish horribly wrong. That would have wrapped it up and sealed Etuhu as man of the match.

90th minute. On the succeeding move Weiss got himself in the box but nothing came of it. Etuhu really won’t want to see that replay–he had the goal at his mercy, though the angle was a little tight.

90th (+). Into injury time–there will be 3 minutes. City is trying to make a late change to bring in Bojinov.

93rd minute. One minute to go. It was Benjani who came out for Bojinov.

93rd minute. Weiss wins a tackle in midfield and then a foul. One last long ball from Chiefs is dealt with by the backline, and that’s the final whistle!

City collect a quite decent 1-0 victory, riding their luck at times in the 2nd half. The defensive showing by the youthful pairing of Mee and McGivern was quite impressive, and City looked dangerous on the break.

Man of the match: Only on the pitch for 45 minutes, but Ireland was the game’s most influential player and grabbed the goal. The TV is giving it to Zabaleta however, who is graciously thanking the South African hosts.

Next up for City is a rematch against either Orlando Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday.