Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs’ ace goal poacher Caleb Bimenyimana is proving to be a penalty specialist.
Three weeks ago, Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane handed Burundiborn Bimenyimana his first start in a match against SuperSport United, who were on a high after defeating cross-town rivals Mamelodi Sundowns two weeks before.
The team languished in 14th place on the standings at the time. In a pre-match pep talk, Zwane called on the players to show their true worth – Chiefs had won only two of their seven outings then.
Bimenyimana was one of the players that responded. His impact on the match was the most telling as he scored both goals in Chiefs’ 2-1 win, with one from the penalty spot.
Last week, Bimenyimana was on the score-sheet again when Chiefs won 2-1 in a Soweto Derby against Swallows. Keagan Dolly scored the other goal.
After Chiefs’ triumph over the weekend, Bimenyimana started drawing comparisons with the prolific Manchester City predator Erling Haaland, who has taken football by storm.
Bimenyimana scored three goals from the spot in the side’s 3-1 win over a youthful Stellenbosch side on Sunday at the Cape Town Stadium.
After the match, a Chiefs fan proclaimed on social media: “Told you all we don’t need Kermit Erasmus. We have our own Haaland, Caleb Bimenyimana. The man on form!”
Another fan dubbed him ‘Caleb Haaland’.
The lanky Burundian Bimenyimana didn’t score a goal in open play, but his penalties paved the way for Chiefs’ win over Stellenbosch.
Since his arrival at Amakhosi, Bimenyimana has scored six goals, four from the spot.
He seems comfortable taking penalties, and that ability will be an important part of the team’s arsenal.
“I’m here to score goals, so I’m happy for myself. I’m also happy for the team,” said Bimenyimana in a television interview.
“We have been pushing and working hard for this moment.
“In my mind, I want to score in every game. Let’s say in every game if I can score two or one, I’ll go for it. We will see at the end how many I score.
“I am here to help the team go back where it belongs.
“I think we deserved the penalties. To experience that moment and conclude the goals it was something special.
“I have confidence in myself that with every penalty I can score, and it happened that way.
“Like a team, we will go back where we belong. We know it has been too long without a trophy, so this year we are looking for something special. We know what we have in the dressing room, the staff and the players. We know what we need to do to get there, so we are going to keep it that way.”
Bimenyimana will next be in action when Chiefs host Chippa United on Saturday afternoon at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.