In their bid to fight for third place in the Betway Premiership this week, Durban City and Sekhukhune United cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw at the Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday night.
Following a largely subdued first half, the game sprung to life late on after Saziso Magawana opened the scoring in the 71st minute, which Tshepho Mashiloane neutralised two minutes from regulation time.
Durban City made their intentions known from the first whistle and took the game to Babina Noko early on. Following a free-kick in the second minute, Haashim Domingo struck the bar from a set-piece on the edge of the Durban City area, exciting fans in the stadium.
As the dust settled in Durban, Babina Noko began seeing more of the ball midway through the first half, while Saziso Magawana came close to opening the scoring for his side, only to be denied by Sekhukhune goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner in the 15th minute.
Sekhukhune continued to probe as the halftime whistle drew closer, while the likes of Bradley Grobler and Vuyo Letlapa attempted shots on goal to no avail.
With Sekhukhune gaining control of the match for large parts of the first half, the ref reached for his whistle with the score reading 0-0 at the break.
Following a slow start to the second half, Bokang Mokwena missed the target with a shot from outside the area shortly after the break, while Tidiane Diomande came close to opening the scoring for Babina Noko after fluffing his lines with an attempt inside the area in the 54th minute.
Durban City broke the deadlock in the 71st minute after Magawana etched his name onto the scoresheet. While Athini Jodwana’s right-footed attempt inside the area was saved, Magawana followed through moments later and saw his effort ripple the top net.
Babina Noko looked lively during the final 10 minutes of the encounter and actively pushed for an equaliser. Their moment eventually arrived after Mashiloane levelled the scoring in the 88th minute as he guided home from close after which Bradley Grobler had a shot at goal seconds prior.
Neither side could convert their chances toward the end of the match, as Mashiloane had the last laugh in the KwaZulu-Natal province on the night.
Sekhukhune thus retained third place on the table with 33 points, while Durban City ended the latest game week in fourth position with 32 points.
Durban City: (0) 1 (Magawana 71’)
Sekhukhune United: (0) 1 (Mashiloane 88’)
Durban City: Keet, Mashego, Mkhize, Ncanana, Gcaba, Magawana (Jalai 80’), Jurgens, Poggenpoel (Jodwana 70’), Domingo (Nodada 57’), Mokwena (Kamatuka 70’), Maseko (Sifumba 70’)
Sekhukhune United: Leaner, Mashiloane, Yamba, Cardoso, Letlapa, Mkhize (Khiba 81’), Diomande (Nku 64’), Grobler, Tlaka (Monare 46’), Mncube (Mojela 64’), Rammala (Mokoane 64’)