SOUTH Africa’s Premier Soccer League will go down to the wire when Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns battle it out for the R15 million first prize in the final round of matches on Saturday.
Chiefs and Sundowns both recorded victories in their penultimate matches on Wednesday night to remain deadlocked at the top of the log on 56 points each, although Chiefs have a three-goal advantage over Downs.
Sundowns were full value for their win, beating Polokwane City 3-0, through goals by Anele Ngcongca, Themba Zwane and Keletso Magalwa, but Chiefs were rather fortunate as a refereeing error contributed to their 1-0 win against Chippa United.
“The match official awarded Chiefs a free-kick 11 minutes from time as he believed veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune had been fouled when attempting to clear a corner,” AFP reported.
“But TV replays showed that no Chippa player made contact with the shot-stopper before he fell, and the shot by Zimbabwean Elvis Moyo that found the net should have been a goal,” it added.
Earlier, Khama Billiat gave Chiefs the lead with his first goal in 12 months when he guided in a header by Samir Nurkovic after only nine minutes.
Chiefs and Sundowns both face tough final matches tomorrow against opponents who are fighting against relegation, with Chiefs taking on 15th placed Baroka Football Club (on 28 points) and Sundowns taking on 14th placed Black Leopards (on 29 points). The bottom club Polokwane City on 24 points is already relegated, but with the 15th-placed club due to compete in relegation play-offs, both Leopards and Baroka will give it their all to avoid the drop zone.
On Wednesday, Baroka could not repeat their heroics of Sunday when they beat Sundowns 1-0, as they went down 4-1 to SuperSport United.
Baroka took an early lead through Evidence Makgopa, but Thamsanqa Gabuza equalised for SuperSport on 28 minutes, while Baroka were reduced to 10 men six minutes later when Nhlanhla Mgaqa was sent off for a foul.
SuperSport dominated the second half and further goals by Grant Kekana, Bradley Grobler and Kudakwashe Mahachi sealed a comprehensive win.
The win saw SuperSport remaining third on the log on 50 points, just ahead of Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits who are both on 49 points.
Wits suffered a 1-0 defeat to Black Leopards on Wednesday, while Pirates beat Maritzburg United 1-0 after a late goal by substitute Gabadinho Mhango, which increased his goal tally to 15 at the top of the PSL goal scorers chart.
Namibia’s Peter Shalulile, however, joined him on 15 goals when he scored Highlands Park’s winner against Cape Town City at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto. Shalulile found the net after only five minutes, turning his marker and scoring into the bottom left hand corner, and now stands a great chance to win the golden boot award.
The victory took Highlands Park up to eighth position on 38 points, while their final match on Saturday is away to 13th-placed Amazulu.
Shalulile, meanwhile, was in confident mood in a recent interview with kickoff.com.
“I will leave everything in God’s hands and if you believe in yourself, everything is possible,” he was quoted as saying.
“It feels nice, it’s a dream come true and I am very excited. I want to be the first Namibian to get it, that’s why it’s so important,” he added.
