Ex-Kaizer Chiefs defender Aden McCarthy has started like a house on fire with Azerbaijani side Sabah FK, including a first Champions League goal.

McCarthy opens his Champions League account

Following a winter move to Azerbaijani outfit Sabah FK, it’s been a steady growth curve for 23-year-old defender Aden McCarthy. The former Kaizer Chiefs man scored his first goal in Europe’s elite club competition, the Champions League, on Wednesday night in Sabah’s 1-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Sabah beat Slavia Praha 2-0 on matchday 2, their first ever win in the competition.

Some local online chatter speculates that McCarthy earned his big move to Sabah because his agent has a strong European passport, and therefore has easier access to contacts on the continent. It’s a theory, for sure.

What’s next for McCarthy’s old club?

After just eight games of the new Betway Premiership campaign, Kaizer Chiefs are already trailing leaders Sundowns by nine points, and Orlando Pirates by eight. They’ve only triumphed in one of their last seven clashes across all competitions. With just a solitary piece of silverware in the last 10 years (a Nedbank Cup triumph in last year’s final against Pirates), it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that Chiefs are horribly underachieving, given their fanbase and huge financial might. If results don’t improve quickly, it’s easy to envisage a situation where Da Cruz is sacked before Christmas. If they’re out of contention for CAF Champions League football, that should be the final nail in his coffin.

Too many draws

Chiefs have drawn five of their last six Betway Premiership outings. They’ll aim to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they meet Red Arrows in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup first preliminary round clash on Friday, 23 October at 18:00. After that, it’s a meeting with Orlando Pirates on 31 October at 15:30.