Brad Morgan
24 July 2007
Tottenham Hotspur opened their three-match pre-season tour of South Africa with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in Durban on Saturday in the first match of the Vodacom Challenge. Unfortunately, it proved to be a costly win for the English club.
Only 25 seconds into his debut for Tottenham, Younes Kaboul was forced from the field after receiving a kick in the face from former Charlton Athletic striker Shaun Bartlett which broke a tooth. He was immediately replaced by Anthony Gardiner.
Not many chances
Spurs were playing their third pre-season friendly, but Chiefs were in anything but a magnanimous mood, tackling with venom. With the midfields of both teams packed in the first half, not many chances were created as space was at a premium.
When Tottenham did get going, time after time they were flagged for off-sides, with some of those decisions being questionable.
Irish international striker Robbie Keane was unhappy with the rulings. When he expressed his displeasure, however, he was carded by referee Wilson Mpanisi in the thirty-second minute.
Opening goal
Eight minutes later, though, Keane got his revenge, beating the offside trap before lobbing the ball over Chiefs' goalkeeper Emile Baron, to put the Lilywhites in the lead.
Following a largely uninspiring first half, Tottenham took a 1-0 lead into the break.
After the restart, both teams looked more eager to open up the game and four minutes into the second stanza the stakes were upped when Chiefs equalised.
Chiefs' reply
Amakhosi left-back Onisimor Bhasera created an overlap out wide and his searching cross was then well met by Bartlett who directed a glancing header past Paul Robinson into the Spurs' goal.
Bhasera tested Robinson shortly afterwards with a stinging left-footed drive, but the England international was up to the task.
Encouraged by their equaliser, Chiefs continued to push for a second goal, but they were caught out in the 59th minute when defender Phil Ifil set Spurs on the attack with a long ball up to Darren Bent.
Berbatov on target
Bent, who like Bartlett played at Charlton, beat Cyril Nzama before finding Bulgarian ace Dimitar Berbatov in space inside the Chiefs' 18-yard area. Berbatov coolly side-footed the ball home to lift Spurs into a 2-1 lead.
With the match winding down, Bent had a good opportunity to secure a 3-1 victory for Tottenham after Adeel Tarbaat sent him clear on goal with only Baron to beat. The 'keeper, though, rushed out, cutting down Bent's angle and when the striker shot, the ball struck the net-minder.
Spurs' manager Martin Jol declared himself satisfied with his side's performance, saying the team did well to close down the Amakhosi in the first half. He acknowledged that the Chiefs' back four played high and caught Tottenham off-sides often, but said that also made the English club's probing balls forward dangerous.
Encouraging signs for Chiefs
For Kaizer Chiefs, Onisimor Bhasera, their Zimbabwean signing - playing in just his second game for the team - did enough to suggest he could be the club's answer at left-back. His was a hard-working effort, both on attack and defence.
Tottenham's place in the final of the Vodacom Challenge is already ensured, thanks to the format of the competition. However, pride will be at stake for Spurs when they tackle Orlando Pirates in their next match on Tuesday. The Buccaneers will be chasing a victory, knowing it could a long way towards earning them a place in the title deciding match on Saturday in Pretoria.
However, they will face their archrivals, Chiefs, before that. The teams clash in Port Elizabeth on Thursday in a clash that is sure to draw a huge crowd.
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