Kaizer Chiefs were crowned the 2022 DStv Diski Shield champions after defeating Stellenbosch FC in the final at Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammersdale on Saturday afternoon.
Chiefs star midfielder Mfundo “Obrigado” Vilakazi continued to prove that he is one for the future when he netted a stunner in Amakhosi's resounding 2-0 victory.
This means Chiefs have now won two Diski Shield titles in three editions of the Diski Challenge top eight tournaments.
They first won the competition in its inception in 2018 when they thumped Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 in the final.
Now they have done it again at the expense of the Diski Challenge League champions.
The two sides displayed an eye-catching performance in the first half, however, few chances were created. They went to the halftime break tied at 0-0.
In the second half of the match, Stellies dominated the early exchanges but they could not break Chiefs' defence, which only conceded only two goals heading to the final.
After Stellies produced several attacks in the second half, the Western Cape-based club was caught with an impressive attack when Mduduzi Shabalala combined with Wandile Duba to find Vilakazi who broke the deadlock in the 58th minute.
Chiefs proved to be more dominant after getting the opening goal as they created tons of chances but could not get past Leigh Brandt, who worked overtime ensuring Stellies did not concede many goals.
Chiefs extended their lead in the 84th minute through the impressive Shabalala, who displayed a man-of-the-match performance on the day.
Shabalala finished off Puso Dithejane’s effort which hit the crossbar and went back into the pitch to find Shabalala in the right position at the right time to extend Amakhosi’s lead.
In the last minutes of the match, there was not much that Stellenbosch FC could have done to get something out of this fixture.
To reach the final, Amakhosi eliminated SuperSport United in the quarterfinals and Mamelodi Sundowns in the semis, while Stellenbosch ousted Maritzburg United and Chippa United.
In the other game that took place early in the morning at the same venue, Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Chippa United 4-2 on penalties. This was after the two sides played to an interesting 2-2 draw in regulation time.
Chiefs walked away with a R200 000 cheque which they will donate to Naturena Primary. The runners-up, Stellies got R150 000 and Sundowns, who came third, got a consolation price of R100 000. All three teams will donate to their respective foundations.