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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
IT wasn’t as vintage as Diego Maradona slaloming past the entire English defence in Mexico in ’86 but Knowledge Musona’s stunning beautiful goal on Wednesday night, which illuminated the Peter Mokaba Stadium, was a piece of sheer individual brilliance.
The Zimbabwe international forward has struggled, on his return to South Africa, to find the X-Factor which turned him into an unplayable forward in his final season in Super Diski, after his confidence took a huge battering, following a largely indifferent spell, in two forgettable seasons, in the tougher terrain of the Bundesliga.
But, gradually, he has been getting back into his groove and, on Wednesday night, he scored a beauty that reminded the Kaizer Chiefs fans of their old Smiling Assassin, the fresh-faced young forward, with pace to burn, an eye for goal, who arrived from Zimbabwe five years ago and used his goals, and an infectious smile, to create a special bond with them.
With the game on the edge, and only five minutes left in regulation time at the Peter Mokaba on Wednesday, Musona took matters into his hands with a superb display of individual brilliance to finally break the defensive shield of a plucky Ajax Cape Town that gave as much as they got in a feisty encounter.
A long clearance from the defence was pushed into Musona’s path by substitute, Katlego Mphela, who had received the ball with his back to the Ajax goal.
Musona took the ball on his chest well outside the opponents’ box, a deft touch with his right foot, all this done in motion with a defender on his shoulder, gave him control of the ball and his pace swept him past the defender.
But there was still too much to do, as he stormed into the box, where the huge mass of Ajax Cape Town defenders waited to repel the attack.
Another touch, this time shifting the angle as he dinked to his right, and a devastating change of pace, somehow managing to maintain his balance, swept him past the next defender and, in a blink of an eye, the Zimbabwean forward had eliminated the last in-field defensive shield and opened a pocket of space for himself down the right.
Suddenly, he was clear on goal, with only ‘keeper Anssi Jaakkola, who had been outstanding all night, to beat and, as the Finnish international advanced, in a desperate but vain attempt to narrow his angle, Musona still had the presence of mind to lift the ball over the huge hurdle and it caressed a part of the goalminder as it flew into the corner for a superb individual goal.
That he could find his magic to weave his way past that defensive wall, at such pace, and then end it all with a beauty of a goal, was sheer quality and a reminder, to all those who were starting to write him off as a spent force, that there was still a lot of magic in those quick feet.
Mark Gleeson, commentating on SuperSport, captures the move:
“There’s Musona, still Musona, can he do it, yes, he does, in the closing stages he has made up for all the misses and Chiefs have their goal, five minutes from time, it’s been threatening but you thought it would not come and then Musona does the job.”
The Zimbabwe international, who also scored the second goal with a looping header that left the ‘keeper stranded was, as usual, modest in his assessment of his contribution to his team’s cause despite the stunning quality of his first goal.
“I have always said I feel good,” he told the Kaizer Chiefs official website. “It’s always good to score goals and help the team to collect maximum points.
“I am happy for everyone in the team and our supporters. I have to keep going even when I miss (good) chances or make mistakes and that is my secret.
“I am not one to give up easily.”
Of course, some will question that, given the circumstances that resulted in him moving away from the Bundesliga, where George Mbwando begged him to fight for his place, and return to the sunshine of Super Diski.
But chances are that Musona would have spent another season, either frozen on the bench or being just a part-time player who could be summoned into action when there was an injury crisis in the team, and that would have shattered his confidence to an all-time low.
At least, some will argue, he is now playing regularly at Chiefs and if he can produce goals, as good as the one he scored on Wednesday night, he will certainly get the European suitors coming back for his signature even if Hoffenheim believe that their romance isn’t worth reviving.
“I would like to continue scoring for the team,” he told the Chiefs website. “I would like to improve on converting chances that are created.
“It’s a good feeling and I am happy and would like to give credit to my teammates.”
Musona is now the joint second top goal-scorer in the Absa Premiership after his double took his tally to eight and his brace meant that, for the second game running, the Amakhosi needed a Zimbabwean goalscorer for their victory after Willard Katsande scored the only goal in the Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates.
But while Musona is smiling again, the Chiefs’ boo-boys were hostile towards his strike partner, Kingston Nkhatha, forcing coach Stuart Baxter to make a furious and emotional reaction as he condemned the supporters.
“I will be brutally honest, usually I go and greet the fans but I will not greet the fans tonight,” Baxter said after the match.
“What they do with Kingston . . . when Kingston was one on one with the goalkeeper we can thank the fans for that. Because he was so nervous he just blasted it. Now we can thank the fans for that, and I will not greet them.
“It leaves the question do you want to work at a football club where the fans behave that way to your players when they’re top of the league and giving it their all?
“I don’t know, that’s a question I am going to have to answer.”
Online Reporter