It was back to square one as Absa Premiership champions and log leaders SuperSport United were held to an exciting 0-0 draw by Orlando Pirates in their crunch league clash played at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.
On the run of play, the defending champions deserved to have gone home with three points, but United coach Gavin Hunt will not be too worried after his main rivals — second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns also drew 0-0 at home against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Super Stadium on Wednesday.
Third-placed Kaizer Chiefs also recorded a 0-0- scoreline, in their match played against Moroka Swallows on Tuesday night.
With five matches remaining, United are still three points ahead of Downs at the top of the table, but the Brazilians have a game in hand over their Pretoria rivals.
It was end-to-end stuff during an action-packed first half in which both sides went for broke and the 25 000 crowd more than got their money’s worth.
Both teams had shots cleared off their respective goallines in a frantic opening 45 minutes.
It took only five minutes for the champions to bring out the best in Bucs keeper Moeneeb Josephs, when the agile Josephs did well to fist Siyabonga Nkosi’s shot for a corner.
But the home side should have scored a minute later when United defender Morgan Gould slipped in no man’s land and Terror Fanteni, getting a rare start in the Pirates attack, powered for goal. But Fanteni showed his rustiness by firing at keeper Emile Baron, and from the rebound Teko Modise miskicked with the goal at his mercy.
United regrouped and Daine Klate underlined his potential when he beat off the challenges from Bucs defenders Lucas Thwala and Lucky Lekgwathi inside the Bucs penalty area and forced Josephs to make another great save on 11 minutes.
SuperSport defender David Kannemeyer did brilliantly when he headed Thulasizwe Mbuyane’s shot off his goalline in the 16th minute.
Baron pulled off a stunning save from a spectacular 35m free kick from Modise that had outfoxed the United defence, but the alert Baron did well to punch the ball for a corner in the 25th minute.
Three minutes later, Klate saw his header cleared off the goalline by Bucs defender Rooi Mahamutsa.
United came close to breaking the deadlock in the 32nd minute when Glen Salmon laid back a defence-splitting pass but Klate, on the volley, blasted over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy.
Fanteni, who struggled, headed wide in the 38th minute and was carried off three minutes from the interval with an arm injury. He was replaced by Katlego Mashego.
The fast pace fell away at the start of the second half. United’s off-form Liberian striker Anthony Laffor was wide with a free header after he connected a Brent Carelse pass in the 58th minute.
United kept driving forward searching for the elusive goal. Klate headed a Laffor cross straight at Josephs in the 66th minute.
Bucs, who were pinned into their own half for most of the second half, finally broke the shackles when two substitutes, Gert Schalkwyk and Lebohang Mothibantwa, combined in the 77th minute, which resulted in Mothibantwa firing a 25m bullet centimetres wide if the United woodwork.
A perfectly timed tackle inside his six-yard area from Bucs defender Zvenyika Makonese prevented Carelse from getting in a shot on target in the 80th minute.
The champions finished the stronger of the two sides and had the Bucs defence under pressure right until the final whistle, but failed where it mattered most — finding the back of the net. — Sapa