Durban City’s hero Joslin Kamatuka sinks Chippa United with late winner

What seemed to be a deadlocked game at Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday night ended in dramatic fashion when Joslin Kamatuka netted a late winner.

Durban City’s top scorer from last season kicked off his campaign with a bang, despite not being at full fitness.

The boys in blue dominated possession throughout the match, keeping the game largely in Chippa’s half of the field. However, Durban City struggled to make the final pass or decisive move needed to break the deadlock early on.

Coach Gavin Hunt told Independent Media after the game: “We would have been up at least 2-0 in the first half, but the Chippa defence proved resilient.”

Chippa’s first attack of the game came from a corner, which failed to materialise into anything significant and ended with a Durban City counter-attack that fizzled out in midfield.

The match was largely back and forth in a foggy Chatsworth Stadium, with a lively crowd coming out in numbers to support the home side. A local band drumming in the stands kept the energy high as Durban City pushed forward into the Chippa six-yard box.

Attacker Haashim Domingo looked close to opening the scoring for Durban City, but the crowd erupted when Kamatuka came off the bench.

The 34-year-old Namibian striker immediately made his presence felt in the front line, injecting fresh energy into the City attack.

A well-placed pass into the left side of the Chippa six-yard box allowed Kamatuka to slot the ball home for a late winner.

“It feels good to be on the score sheet again after coming off a knock in our last game. I’m still struggling a bit with match fitness, but I’m getting there slowly,” Kamatuka told Independent Media after the game.

“I know the boys here at Durban and have played with them before, so it was difficult getting back up to speed with things. I think I adapted quickly to the new coach (Gavin Hunt), and I’m happy with the result we got today.”