Du Preez relieves some pressure on Chiefs with winner against Magesi

Ashley du Preez came off the bench to give Kaizer Chiefs their eighth victory in the Betway Premiership in 2025-25, the goal helping Amakhosi beat rookies Magesi FC 1-0 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday night. 

Before Du Preez entered the fray Chiefs had huffed and puffed and looked on their way to another disappointing draw against the relegation-fighting Limpopo side. But after a snappy exchange of passes Du Preez scored his third league goal of the season in the 69th minute after receiving a good square pass from new wing signing Glody Lilepo.

Amakhosi came into the match on a poor run of just one victory, one draw and three defeats in their previous five matches. For most of the first hour their play was too disjointed to produce the goals they needed against a side sitting one position above the straight relegation spot occupied by inactive Royal AM.

Chiefs came close to scoring midway through the first half when striker Ranga Chivaviro had his shot parried for a corner by Magesi goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, who otherwise had little to deal with for most of the match.

Chivaviro had another chance to score just after the hour mark but blasted over the bar when it looked easier to pick a spot. Pule Mmodi was also unlucky to see his strike hitting the upright after beating Chipezeze in referee's optional time.

The win keeps Chiefs in eighth spot with 28 points, a whopping 26 points behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who defeated them 1-0 in Pretoria on Saturday. 

One of the few positives Nabi can draw from Tuesday night's match was that Chiefs avoided conceding for only the fourth time this season in the league, but even that doesn't help much as they've let in 24 goals against the 22 they have scored.

For Magesi, the struggle to survive relegation continues as Owen da Gama's side remain in the relegation playoff 15th spot with 17 points from 21 games.