Mamelodi Sundowns shared the spoils with Stellenbosch FC in a 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday night in the Betway Premiership.
Tsiki Ntsabeleng put Sundowns ahead, while Tshegofatso Mabasa equalised for Stellies late in the game.
Miguel Cardoso introduced four changes to the line-up, bringing in Grant Kekana, Aubrey Modiba, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, and Iqraam Rayners to replace Keanu Cupido, Divine Lunga, Jayden Adams, and Brayan Leon.
Stellenbosch, meanwhile, made two adjustments, with Omega Mdaka and Langelihle Phili coming in for Asekho Tiwani and Tshegofatso Mabasa.
As anticipated, Masandawana dominated possession in the opening exchanges but failed to create meaningful goal-scoring opportunities.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch appeared comfortable defending deep and waiting for Sundowns to attack, hoping to strike on the counter.
A big opportunity went begging in the 17th minute when Devin Titus couldn’t capitalise on a misplaced back pass from Aubrey Modiba to Ronwen Williams, sending his chipped effort off target.
The breakthrough came in the 26th minute when Tsiki Ntsabeleng finished off a well-worked move in the box, courtesy of an assist from Arthur Sales.
The first half saw Stellies unable to find the net, leaving Sundowns in a 1-0 lead at the break.
Picking up right where they left off, Sundowns launched renewed offensive moves in a bid to double their advantage.
In the 53rd minute, Matthews thought he had scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside even though it seemed to be a close call.
Moments later, Khuliso Mudau nearly doubled the home side’s lead, but his free header skimmed just past the post.
On the other hand, Stellies struggled to pose any threat in the second half as Sundowns maintained constant pressure, hunting for a second goal.
They managed to pull level in the 85th minute when Tshegofatso Mabasa scored, following a saved penalty by Williams, before calmly converting the rebound to secure the equaliser.
With neither side finding the back of the net once again, the two sides shared points at Loftus. The point saw Sundowns move to 57 points but stay behind leaders Orlando Pirates who have 58 – with a game in hand.
