In a season-ending Castle Premier Soccer League match played at Seiso Ramabodu Stadium, Bloemfontein Celtic and Maritzburg United played to a one-all draw in front of a capacity crowd on Sunday afternoon.
Home team Celtic led 1-0 at the break.
Celtic midfielder Cyrille Mubiala scored in the 28th minute from a rebound shot from Moses Spandeel as United goalkeeper Aime Kitenge failed to stop the shot.
In the 30th minute, United were lucky not to concede another goal when Celtic defender James Madidilane’s shot hit the cross bar and fell back into play with the goalkeeper well beaten.
The pace of the match slowed down towards the end of the first half and Celtic went into the break ahead by the single goal despite dominating proceedings.
Madidilane again hit the upright with a long-range effort in the 54th minute with Kitenge well beaten.
Celtic striker Petros Mahlatsi failed to punish United in the 70th minute when his shot missed the target by a centimetre and should have been a certain goal.
The visitors made several changes to try and match Celtic and finally managed to equalise deep into the second half. In the 87th minute, United’s striker, former Chiefs player Kupamba Musasa, capitalised on the lapse in concentration of Celtic defender Timothy Batabire to quickly tap the ball into the far right corner, equalising for the visitors.
Celtic only had themselves to blame for not taking their chances as they only managed to earn one point in a match they should have won easily. They closed the season on 44 points and qualified for the SAA Supa8 competition, while United go back to the Mvela League after managing to win only four games. — Sapa