Chippa United came back from a goal down to claim a 1-1 league draw against on-form Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday night.
Maritzburg were on top throughout the first half as they played what has become their trademark free-flowing football under coach Fadlu Davids, but failed to take their chances.
Their first clear opening on goal came after 15 minutes when a brilliant run from Fortune Makaringe ended with Lebohang Maboe pulling the ball across the box, but Deolin Mekoa scuffed his shot badly.
Chippa were given the chance to take the lead against the run of play when a sliding Brian Onyango was penalised for a hand-ball in the box in the 25th minute.
But Chilli Boys skipper James Okwuosa’s spot-kick was not struck sweetly enough and the Nigerian’s effort was well saved by Maritzburg’s Ghanaian international keeper Richard Ofori.
The KZN capital city side, however, remained in control of the game and some more superb interplay five minutes before the break saw Andrea Fileccia playing in Evans Rusike, but from just inside the box the Zimbabwean pulled his shot over the bar.
Maritzburg started the second half in positive vein when a scintillating solo run by Maboe with his shot being saved by Daniel Akpeyi.
Just when Chippa were finally starting to look more fluent in attack, the home side struck with the opening goal in the 64th minute when Rusike drilled in a brilliant first-time shot after being teed up by Maboe in the box.
But the lead was only to last eight minutes as Chippa hit back through Mxolisi Macuphu, who squeezed a shot from a tight angle past Ofori after some slack defending.
Fileccia could have restored Maritzburg’s lead two minutes later, but he fired over the bar after a great through ball from Maboe.
Macuphu was unlucky not to put the Chilli Boys ahead at the other end when he thumped a volley into the crossbar with 10 minutes to play.
There was end-to-end action in the closing minutes, but neither side really had any clear openings as the match ended in a stalemate.
- African News Agency
