Absa Premiership: Pirates Frustrate Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns were held to a 0-0 draw by Orlando Pirates in an Absa Premiership encounter played at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The first real chance at goal fell to Sundowns in the 10th minute when Hlompho Kekana headed over the crossbar from a couple of yards out after meeting a left-sided free-kick from Rivaldo Coetzee.

In the 14th minute, Pirates should have taken the lead when Mhango met an inch-perfect corner-kick from Mabaso, but the central defender headed wide from under the Sundowns crossbar.

A minute later a goalmouth scramble inside the Sundowns box saw Mako firing narrowly over the crossbar from 16-yards out.

Ten minutes later, Sundowns managed their second effort on goal when Nascimento met a corner-kick at the front post, but his volley from an acute angle ten-yards out struck the side-netting.

Pirates continued to push forward after that, but lacked the killer instinct in front of goal and went into the half time break locked at 0-0.

Sundowns came out firing at the start of the second half with Vincent Pule breaking through on goal four minutes after the restart, but he was superbly denied by goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands.

Ten minutes later, Pirates almost stole the lead in a rare foray forward when Makaringe got on the end of a free-kick into the Brazilians box, but goalkeeper Denis Onyango made a great point-blank save to deny his header.

Makaringe was in the thick of the action again in the 77th minute when he turned defender Jele on his way to goal, but saw his close-range effort magnificently saved by Onyango.

Sundowns nearly stole victory in the dying seconds of the match when Keletso Makgalwa shot went few centimetres from the goalmouth in the 90th minute.

Nonetheless, the match ended 0-0 and the spoils were shared.

Here’s how they started:

Sundowns: 14. Onyango, 33. Maboe, 5. Lebusa, 3. Nascimento, 2. Madisha, 40. Coetzee, 21. Mkhulise, 8. Kekana, 7. Lakay, 18. Zwane, 26. Makgalwa.

Pirates: 30. Sandilands, 23. Maela, 4. Jele, 5. Nyauza, 44. Mabaso, 45. Pule, 6. Motshwari, 15. Makaringe, 29. Mako, 7. Mhango, 17. Mulenga.