Kaizer Chiefs were left frustrated after they were held to a goalless draw by Royal AM at the FNB Stadium in the DStv Premiership on Saturday evening.

Chiefs gave Colombian forward Jasond Gonzalez his first start, but he was taken off in the second half because he couldn’t break through a Royal defence led by great custodian Xolani Ngcobo.

Soon after he was replaced, Congolese Christian Saile hit the far post with a shot that beat Ngcobo and came the closest to breaking the tie in Johannesburg.

Chiefs hope that Gonzalez, who is 24 years old and came from Real Sante Cruz in Bolivia, can have the same effect as several South Americans at Mamelodi Sundowns, which is the best team in the Premiership.

Lucas Ribeiro, a new Brazilian forward for Sundowns, has already scored four goals in the Premiership and twice in the CAF Champions League. This is less than two months into the season.

Chiefs moved up the table, but after only six rounds, they are 10 points behind Sundowns.

Chiefs haven’t won a trophy since 2015, when they won the Premiership. This season, they have four chances to end their trophy drought. In addition to the league, they will play in three knockout tournaments.

After starting the Premiership season with only one point out of a possible nine, the Arrows have become more stable under Malawian coach John Maduka. They have won twice and tied with Chiefs.

Also, second-placed Golden Arrows drew 0-0 at home with bottom-half Stellenbosch near Durban. They are now seven points behind Sundowns.

Photo by Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix