The Absa Premiership title race is going down to the wire.
SuperSport United’s title dreams were put on hold when the defending Premiership champions and log leaders were beaten 2-1 by Golden Arrows in their penultimate fixture played at the Atteridgeville Super Stadium on Wednesday night.
With Orlando Pirates drawing 1-1 with Ajax Cape Town at Newlands also on Wednesday night the season will be decided on Saturday when the final round of fixtures will be played.
SuperSport still head the table with 54 points followed by Bucs who now have 52. United have a better goal difference but have a much tougher assignment going to Stellenbosch’s Coetzenburg Stadium to play Santos, but a draw would give United the title.
Pirates face AmaZulu at Ellis Park on Saturday.
All the final-round matches will be played on Saturday.
The first half was packed with controversy. First United’s coach Gavin Hunt pulled off Daine Klate for Lerato Chabangu in the 23 minute. Klate took a long, slow unhappy-looking walk from the pitch and referee Charl Theron had to tell him to get a move on and let the game continue.
Worse was to come. United looked to have scored when Arrows keeper Helton Da Rocha managed to throw out Chabangu’s shot that appeared over his goalline. The linesman on the far side, Yugesh Anjith, and Theron waved play on and the Arrows defence managed to clear the danger in the 31st minute. Even after watching television replays if was difficult to see if the ball had crossed the line.
Arrows Njabulo Manqana forced United’s veteran keeper Andre Arendse to make a fine save off his shot in the 40th minute.
Manqana should have scored in the 41st minute when he latched on to a through ball, rounded Arendse but with an empty goal at his mercy, he hit the side netting when it looked easier to score than miss.
But Manqana made amends when he laid on the cross for Nhlanhla Zothwane to head the opening goal past a helpless Arendse a minute later.
Theron added to United’s troubles when he awarded the coastal team a hotly disputed penalty after defender Morgan Gould had fouled Philani Shangwe inside United penalty area two minutes from the break.
Arendse was so incensed at the decision he was booked by Theron for dissent. It was a tough decision as Shangwe appeared to make a meal of the foul.
Arrows and the Premiership’s leading goal scorer Richard Henyekane calmly slotted home to put Arrows 2-0 in front and put United’s title celebrations on hold until Saturday at least.
United were still shell shocked after the break but were unlucky when Elias Pelembe’s shot was blocked on the way to goal on the hour mark.
Chabangu had a chance to reduce the deficit in the 63rd minute but he shot straight at Da Rocha. But Arrows kept up the pressure and nearly made it 3-0 in the 65th minute when Arendse denied Shangwe a goal with a great save after he waltzed past a cluster of bemused United defenders.
United’s pressure told when substitute Dennis Masinga scored and reduced the deficit in the 71st minute and set up a nail-biting final 19 minutes.
Gould missed an inviting chance when he shot over the crossbar from an Anthony Laffor free kick in the 79th minute. United threw everything at Arrows in the final minutes but failed to salvage a point. — Sapa