Cape Town – Struggling Baroka FC were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Royal AM in a DStv Premiership encounter played at the Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Levy Mashiane's strike for Royal AM cancelled out Bayzel Goldstone's opening goal and the result left Thwihli Thwahla and Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele fourth, and 12th respectively, on the league standings.
Thwihli Thwahla did most of the attacking in the opening exchanges, but it was Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele who broke the deadlock after goalkeeper Oscarine Masuluke had played a long ball to Evidence Makgopa.
The towering centre forward set up Goldstone, and the latter beat keeper Hugo Nyame with a powerful low shot from outside the box to hand Baroka a 1-0 lead just 12 minutes into the encounter.
Royal AM then upped the tempo and Masuluke produced a fine save to deny Sedwyn George, but the Baroka goal-minder was beaten by Mashiane as the hosts' pressure paid off.
Mashiane turned in Victor Letsoalo's left-footed attempt from close range to make it 1-1 two minutes before the half-hour mark, and it was the 25-year-old attacker's third goal of the season.
Royal AM were reduced to 10 players after Given Mashikinya was shown a straight red card after he kicked Kgodiso Monama in the face in the 42nd minute, meaning that hosts would have to play more than half the match with a man less.
Baroka exerted some pressure on Royal AM after the restart as they looked to take advantage of their numerical superiority over the home side, who had introduced Lantshane Phalane prior to the start of the second half.
Makgopa was bravely denied by an on-rushing Nyame from close range just after the hour-mark before Decide Chauke hit the crossbar from the rebound as the hosts just about cleared their lines.
However, Thwihli Thwahla did not sit back and defend, and they should have scored after George played a great pass for Phalane, but somehow the latter placed his shot wide of the target.
It was end-to-end stuff in the dying minutes of the game with both teams searching for a late winning goal, but they were both wasteful in front of goal and the game duly ended in a 1-1 draw.
IOL Sport