Hlompho Kekana’s five best goals
Hlompho Kekana’s retirement on Tuesday ended one of the most decorated playing careers the DStv Premiership has seen, but is also relief for goalkeepers as they see the back of arguably the greatest long- range sniper in the league.
It wasn’t until the 2013/14 season at Mamelodi Sundowns that Kekana became a regular scorer (if we discount his seven goals against minnows Powerlines FC in 2012), and he netted some absolute beauties for club and country after that.
He is the only South African to be twice nominated for FIFA’s Puskas Award for best goal in a season. It was a tough task to narrow down his top five goals, but here is our MTN FC list.
VS MOZAMBIQUE (2014)
This goal came in the African Nations Championship finals that South Africa hosted in January 2014 and was a superb strike from almost 40 yards. It packed plenty of power, but what was key was the huge amount of swerve Kekana got on the ball, so much so that the bamboozled goalkeeper actually dived past it! It had pace, dip and movement through the air as it crashed into the back of the net in a 3-1 win for Bafana Bafana.
VS ORLANDO PIRATES (2014)
This was a similar effort to his strike against The Mambas, though from slightly closer in as it whizzed past a beaten Senzo Meyiwa from 35-yards. This was the thing with many of Kekena’s shots, goalkeepers felt they had them covered until the late movement beat them all ends up. Teko Modise laid the ball off to Kekana and he hit the ball first time, with the shot curling away from the diving Meyiwa. The ability to strike a ball so sweetly without taking a touch was a real gift Kekana had.
VS CAMEROON (2016)
Probably his most famous – and best – goal, Kekena won the ball up well inside his own half, took a few strides forward and before crossing the halfway line, unleashed a powerful shot that sailed over goalkeeper Guy N’dy Assembé. The latter had come a little bit off his line, but not all that much, and was beaten by the pace in the shot and the late dip in the end. Much to the annoyance of his coach Hugo Broos, no doubt. The quality in this shot was not just the execution, but the fact that Kekana had the vision, and the audacity, to take it on.
It was simply brilliant and up there with the best ever Bafana goals. The goal was nominated for the Puskas Award in 2016.
VS ORLANDO PIRATES (2017)
A year later and Kekana was at it again with another goal from inside his own half, though perhaps Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands was culpable with this one. N’dy Assembé had no chance with his, but Sandilands actually got back to his line and hands on the ball, but he could not keep the shot out when he probably should have. But still, applaud the vision and quality in the shot to find the pace and accuracy to test the keeper from his own half!
VS CAPE TOWN CITY (2019)
Another strike that was nominated for a Puskas award in 2019, this was a thunderbolt from 40 yards that left Cape Town City keeper Peter Leeuwenburgh rooted to the spot as he could only watch to crash into the inside of his right-hand post, smash the left-hand post and go in. No keeper in the world would have got anywhere near the shot given the power behind it and it was yet another display of the accuracy of Kekana’s boot and his ability to find such velocity in the shot.
By Nick Said
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