Pirates stretch log lead after draw
Sundowns and Bucs let down by poor finishing
Orlando Pirates increased their Premiership lead to three points on Saturday by drawing at Mamelodi Sundowns while closest rivals Wits suffered a shock home defeat.
Trophy-holders Sundowns and Pirates fought to a 0-0 stalemate before a huge crowd in a Pretoria clash that produced few clearcut scoring chances.
Wits later fluffed a chance to go top on goal difference when they surrendered a lead and had a player red-carded as they slumped to a 2-1 loss against Bloemfontein Celtic.
Just six points separate the leading seven clubs in what could develop into the tightest league title race for many seasons.
Pirates have 23 points, Wits and Celtic 20, Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United 18 and Polokwane City 17 as the championship moves toward the 15-round halfway mark.
There were few empty seats at the 52,000-capacity Loftus Versfeld Stadium, which 2016 African champions Sundowns share with the Bulls Super Rugby franchise. But a wild miss by Sundowns’ New Zealand-born striker Jeremy Brockie from inside the box 55 seconds after the kick-off was a sign of what lay ahead.
The long-time South African failing of poor finishing was much in evidence with some of the shooting at goal embarrassingly poor.
A draw was a fair outcome as the two South African representatives in the 2019 Caf Champions League cancelled each other out.
“It was like a chess match,” said Serbia-born Pirates coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic. “We offered the crowd tea, but no sugar.”
Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane said: “There was little space to operate with both sides closing it down very quickly.”
Nine additional minutes were played in the opening half after a spectator wearing Sundowns colours insulted Pirates’ assistant coach at the dugout.
Haashim Domingo hammered the ball into the Celtic net after a free-kick on 57 minutes to put his team ahead at Milpark Stadium within a Johannesburg But Robyn Johannes got a straight red card and Tshegofatso Mabaso converted the resultant penalty before snatching the winner five minutes from time..
English striker James Keene netted soon after half-time to earn SuperSport a 1-0 win at mid-table Free State Stars in central town Bethlehem.
Baroka ended a nine-match winless league run by coming from behind to defeat Golden Arrows 2-1 at another Durban stadium with Vusi Sibiya scoring the 48th-minute matchwinner. – university campus.