Ajax and Celtic share the spoils

Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town secured an important point with a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Bloemfontein Celtic at Athlone on Tuesday night.

A lacklustre first half gave way to an exciting last 25 minutes as the game sprung to life with three of the four goals scored in that period.

Apart from a first-minute shot from Khama Billiat which was parried to safety by Patrick Tignyemb, there was very little in the way of goalmouth action at either end of the field as neither side managed to carve out opportunities up front.

Four minutes before the break, there was a decent chance for the Urban Warriors when Nazier Allie crossed for Toriq Losper, but his shot was ballooned over the bar.

The breakthrough came in the 44th minute when Mabuthi Khenyeza stooped in at the near post to head home Billiat's free kick. Three minutes after the restart and the Cape side had the chance to add a second goal when Thabo Nthethe conceded a penalty after hand-balling Khenyeza's shot.

Khenyeza stepped up to take the spot kick himself, but sent his effort horribly wide.

As the match moved into the latter stages, the tempo was upped by the visiting team, whose quality substitutes made a positive impact.

Kurt Lentjies, off the bench for Phunye Sele Sele, was the catalyst for their first goal, scored in the 76th minute, through Lerato Manzini, who slid the ball in to goal following Ruzaigh Gamildien's assist.

Celtic then took a 79th minute lead as Gamildien slammed the ball into the net from inside the box after Sean Roberts failed to adequately clear a corner.

However, the visiting side were only ahead for a few minutes, thanks to Wanderson's fabulous solo effort, which saw the Brazilian drifting past three defenders before finishing clinically. - Sapa