Sundowns held to a draw by Arrows

Mamelodi Sundowns were held to a 1-1 draw by Golden Arrows in a Betway Premiership match at Mpumalanga Stadium on Wednesday night.

Both goals were scored in the first half, with Lucas Ribeiro cancelling out Keenan Phillips’ opener. 

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The Brazilians are still top of the log standings, although their advantage has been cut to 16 points after second-placed Orlando Pirates edged Chippa United 1-0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Sundowns moved to 55 points after 21 matches, while the Buccaneers are on 39 points with four games in hand.

The game was level heading into half-time after an action-packed 45 minutes in front of a sold-out crowd in Hammarsdale.

Former Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who was fired by the Tshwane giants and replaced by Miguel Cardoso three months ago, made his first appearance on the bench following his appointment at the KwaZulu-Natal club.

On the field, Arrows defender Keenan Phillips will remember the game for different reasons. He gave his side the lead but also conceded the penalty that led to Ribeiro’s equaliser.

The home team had their noses in front thanks to a header by Phillips, who profited from a Sbonelo Cele free-kick that was whipped into the box.

Mngqithi resisted the urge to celebrate and sat on his bench emotionless as his bench jumped up in celebration in the 31st minute. The 25-year-old Phillips went from hero to villain after being penalised for having his arm in an unnatural position following a cross by Aubrey Modiba from the left. 

Referee Tshidiso Mkhwanazi didn’t hesitate and pointed to the spot before Ribeiro stepped up to score his 13th goal of the league in the 44th minute with a cheeky Panenka that somewhat embarrassed Arrows goalkeeper Ismail Watenga, who committed early.

Masandawana coach Cardoso made two changes at the start of the second half with Teboho Mokoena and Lucas Suarez coming on for Jayden Adams and Malibongwe Khoza respectively. 

They looked better organized and got into the stride with Peter Shalulile and Ribeiro threatening the Arrows goal, but they were not able to find the winner and had to settle for a share of the spoils.