Sparks were flying at Mbombela Stadium when TS Galaxy hosted Mamelodi Sundowns in a fierce battle which ended in a stalemate with both sides refusing to lose.
The home side registered first in the score sheet through Puso Dithejane’s 78th-minute strike which was his first goal in top-flight football.
Peter Shalulile scored with a header as Mamelodi Sundowns maintained their unbeaten league run after a 1-1 draw against TS Galaxy in what was a feisty encounter.
The stage was set in Mpumalanga with the teams’ coaches Rulani Mokwena and Sead Ramovic going head to head in a court battle for alleged defamatory comments.
There was always going to be plenty of niggle and that’s exactly what fans at the venue got which made for one of the matches of the season.
The Rockets are having a terrific campaign and currently sit fourth in the standings and the hosts certainly had a full go at the champions.
Galaxy created the two best opportunities in the first half when Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams made a double save within the space of two minutes, first denying Sphiwe Mahlangu and then Puso Dithejane.
Sundowns’ only effort of note in the opening period came from defender Rivaldo Coetzee, who tested home shot-stopper Fiacre Ntwari with a long-range shot.
The second half followed a similar pattern with Galaxy not holding back and taking the game to Masandawana who made uncharacteristic errors throughout the match.
Thato Khiba should have given the Rockets the lead after 75 minutes but the midfielder fluffed his lines from five yards out and with only Williams to beat.
The home side brushed off that miss and took the lead not longer afterwards when Dithejane finally beat Williams with an inch-perfect shot from the edge of the box.
It looked as though Sundowns’ long unbeaten record will be broken but Mokwena’s charges are seven-time champions for a reason and they showed it by finding an equaliser with five minutes remaining.
Aubrey Modiba did well to force a cross in from the left and Shalulile held off his marker and get to the near-post to flick his header into the back of the net.
The full-time whistle brought some unsavoury scenes with Ramovic getting involved in an altercation with a member of the Sundowns’ management team as the emotions spilled over.