Kaizer Chiefs striker Caleb Bimenyimana: The good, the bad and the ugly

Kaizer Chiefs striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana was ultimately the hero in the 2-1 win over SuperSport United, though it was far from smooth sailing for him.

Like the victory, Bimenyimana was not entirely convincing, but he endured and got the job done to his credit.

GOAL assesses his performance at the FNB Stadium, where he played 75 minutes before being substituted.

Bad

The Burundi striker should really have scored in the 27th minute when he was located eight metres out from goal from a brilliant Zitha Kwinika cross, only to send his header horribly wide.

Having looked off the pace before that, one could sense the confidence draining out of the big man, while the crowd also started getting on his back.

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And a couple of minutes later after he fired a volley badly wide, it felt like Bimenyimana's first start might be turning into a nightmare.

Making things worse was that the team was playing badly, were 1-0 down at that stage and looked set to sink further into their recent alarming slump.

Ugly

Some of his touches in and around the box could indeed be described as 'ugly'. There were several times when the lanky marksman's touch let him down badly as the ball bounced several metres away while trying to control it.

Good

However, it all changed in the 40th minute when the 24-year-old got on the end of Ashley du Preez’s cross to net the equaliser from close range.

It was a fairly straightforward finish although Bimenyimana must be credited for showing the determination to get ahead of Onismor Bhasera and for having the strength to hold off the former Kaizer Chiefs left-back.

What was also notable was his desire and determination to keep getting into scoring positions despite his earlier blunders, and that suggested strong character.

He then exhibited bravery to step up and take the penalty which he converted with real authority, showing that his confidence had been boosted nicely by the earlier goal.

From that point on he looked more relaxed, playing with a spring in his step, enjoying more assured touches and making a couple of nice passes before being subbed 15 minutes from time.

In summary, there are clearly rough edges to his game which need smoothing out and he is far from the finished product.

The two goals though will have done him a world of good and having showed the guts to keep going, there is hope that he could chip in with a reasonable goal return for Amakhosi this season even if he’s not the most polished of strikers.

The only problem for Bimenyimana is that there’s now a two-week break before his side play again – in the MTN8 semi-final against AmaZulu in what will provide another stern examination of his credentials.