Kaizer Chiefs' rescue mission against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup last Sunday was heavily reliant on Ashley Du Preez... and here's why.
Of note, Du Preez' last-minute winner in Chiefs' 2-1 Nedbank Cup semi-finals victory over Sundowns was belatedly declared offside by former referees in the review of the game.
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The former Stellenbosch FC man, it would seem, has always harboured extra motivation to score against the Tshwane giants, as he has netted against them in four of the last five campaigns, which not many players can boast about.
It all started in 2020/21 for Stellies as he netted in a 2-1 loss to the Chloorkop-based side in the Nedbank Cup Last 16, in a season where he scored three goals overall.
The 27-year-old was at it again the following campaign, scoring a brace for Steve Barker's charges in a 3-0 league win over Sundowns.
In his first season at Naturena, Du Preez, however, did not get on target against Sundowns, though he equalled his record tally of nine goals in all competitions in a single campaign, the same number of goals he scored for the Winelands outfit in 2021/22.
Even during his perceived struggles, where the speed merchant scored only six in all competitions in the 2023/24 season, two of those were against The Brazilians.
The attacker found the back of the net for Chiefs against Sundowns in a 2-1 loss in the MTN8 semi-final second leg and was also on target as his side lost by the same scoreline to the Tshwane giants in the then DStv Premiership.
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The 27-year-old has been struggling with injuries this terms, as he was on the bench when Nasreddine Nabi's men were humiliated 4-0 by the men in Yellow and Blue in the Carling Knockout and played only 80 minutes across the two league meetings.
