Mihlali Baleka and Smiso Msomi
Johannesburg — In a Premiership game that was filled with a series of injuries and penalties, Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu drew 1-1 at Orlando Stadium on Friday night.
The result didn’t spell good news for either side as Pirates remained fifth in the league, while Usuthu remained ninth after the 10th round of matches.
Pirates will be the most disappointed side with the result as they extended their winless run to four games ahead of their clash against Golden Arrows.
After that game, Pirates will face Mamelodi Sundowns in a must-win MTN8 semi-final second leg in Polokwane after drawing 0-0 in the first leg here.
Usuthu's road to redemption is steep as well. They’ll face Maritzburg United on Wednesday before facing Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN8 semi-final second leg.
In Friday’s other game, Golden Arrows defender Thabani Zuke scored in the final minutes of added time as Golden Arrows rescued a point as they played out to a 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch FC at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban.
Zuke, who is also captain of Abafana Bes'thende rose in the midst of difficulty and scored the late equaliser, extending his side's unbeaten run to three games.
The hosts headed into this encounter carrying a record of just one loss, three victories and three draws, a positive sign for a side that lost their opening two games of the season.
For Stellies, it was all about bouncing back from an embarrassing defeat to Kaizer Chiefs last time out, rectifying their the type of temperament and decision making that caused them to lose with three penalties last week.
Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker would've been proud of his side's display of great resilience as they weathered Arrows' second half storm but a lapse in concentration in the final minutes cost them two valuable points.
Arrows will need to build on this last ditch draw at home as they await the visit of Pirates in the next match while Stellenbosch welcome the visit of in-form SuperSport United.
IOL Sport