As the latest list of Betway Premiership fixtures rolled on, Golden Arrows and Polokwane City were unable to get the better of each other following a tense 0-0 stalemate at the Mpumalanga Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Polokwane City looked lively during the opening exchanges of the match, as Raymond Daniels worried the Golden Arrows backline with a couple of attempts at goal. At the other end of the pitch, Ryan Moon came close to opening the scoring in the eighth minute after seeing a close range header going narrowly wide of the mark.
After a cagey start to the game, both Arrows and Polokwane City actively searched for an opener inside the first 15 minutes. Nonetheless, Daniels continued to be his side’s attacker-in-chief and resorted to testing Ismail Watenga from range. However, Arrows sat tight in warding off Polokwane City’s early pressure.
It's a draw to end 2024 for Golden Arrows and Polokwane City in the #BetwayPrem 🤝 pic.twitter.com/nE07ANKosF
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) December 28, 2024
The possession count was shared for much of the first half, however, Arrows were the more progressive outfit in terms of accurate passes and final third entries. As Abafana Bes’thende grew into the game, Polokwane City often found themselves playing on the back foot.
Nevertheless, the referee called time on the first 45 with the score tied at 0-0, as neither side were able to make the most of their scoring opportunities.
Arrows commenced the second half on the front foot and took the game to Rise and Shine with direct play from the middle of the park. Both Nduduzo Sibiya and Moon produced attempts early on target but did little to harm the opposition goalkeeper.
In an answer to Sibiya and Moon’s scoring opportunities, second-half substitutes Puleng Tlolane and Stevens Goovadia looked lively for Polokwane City after the hour mark. Also, Manuel Kambala came close to opening the scoring in the 70th minute after missing a headed attempt inside the Arrows box following a dangerous delivery by Tlolane.
Rise & Shine were relentless in their pursuit of the opening goal toward the end of the game, but were often matched with aggressive defending by the KwaZulu-Natal outfit.
Tlolane, who came close to grabbing the lead with around 15 minutes left on the clock, was once again presented with another opportunity in stoppage time. After latching onto a headed pass by Sibusiso Tshabalala on the edge of the 18-yard-area area, the Polokwane City midfielder’s right-footed shot sailed over the crossbar.
However, the game ended with a 0-0 scoreline after a tense affair at the Mpumalanga Stadium.
Golden Arrows 0
Polokwane City 0
Golden Arrows: Watenga, Cele, Phillips (Tlolane 79’), Shitolo, Mantshiyane, Ndwandwe, Dube, Mthanthi (Lukhele 66’), Sibiya (Masuku 79’), Van Rooi (Ncube 79’), Moon (Malinga 79’)
Polokwane City: Sapunga, Ndlovu, Nkaki, Nikani, Makhubela, Kambala, Maphungule, Appollis (Goovadia 66’), Alexander (Tlolane 46’), Daniels (Sibusiso 53’), Ramabu