Leaders Sundowns draw, closest rivals Pirates win
Golden Arrows right-back Keenan Phillips experienced mixed fortunes during a 1-1 home draw with South African Premiership leaders Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old put his club ahead on 31 minutes near Durban through a far-post header that struck the ground, then rose past 39-year-old former Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango.
But the joy at putting Arrows ahead disappeared just before half-time when he handled a cross and Brazilian Lucas Ribeiro levelled from the penalty.
Ribeiro cheekily chipped the ball over another Ugandan goalkeeper, Ismail Katenga, for a chart-topping 13th league goal this season.
It was the first time defending champions Sundowns drew in this campaign after 18 wins and two losses, and left them 16 points ahead of second-placed Orlando Pirates.
The match marked the debut of Manqoba Mngqithi for a third stint as Arrows coach after being fired by Sundowns last December.
Pirates edged Chippa United 1-0 in Gqeberha thanks to a first goal this season from centre-back Nkosinathi Sibisi in first-half added time.
Although surrounded by opponents, Sibisi headed a corner past Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali at his near post.
It was a welcome victory for the Soweto outfit after losing two of their last three Premiership matches, including a 4-1 drubbing at Sundowns.
Pirates have four matches in hand over Sundowns, and the teams clash again on March 16 in a match that offers the Buccaneers a chance to keep the title race alive by winning.
"It was not a beautiful match, but we needed three points above all else," said Pirates' Spanish coach Jose Riveiro.
"Our defence was outstanding," he added, referring to Chippa being restricted to just one shot on target.
At the other end of the table, Richards Bay stretched an unbeaten league run to six matches after a last-gasp 2-1 home win over fourth-placed Sekhukhune United in Durban.
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