10-man Mamelodi Sundowns held Kaizer Chiefs to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in a bruising Betway Premiership encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday night, a result that throws the title race wide open.
Chiefs strike first
Amakhosi struck first through Flavio da Silva in the opening half, but Brayan León restored parity after the interval in a match defined by high intensity and controversy.
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Sundowns were reduced to 10 men when Jayden Adams was dismissed shortly after the half-hour mark for simulation outside his own penalty area.
Despite the setback, the Brazilians remain three points clear of second-placed Orlando Pirates after 28 matches. However, with Pirates holding a game in hand, the championship race is finely poised and could yet be decided by goal difference.
Sundowns made a bright start and nearly took the lead in the 12th minute when Aubrey Modiba surged down the left, only to be denied by a sharp save from Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.
The Amakhosi shot-stopper was called into action again moments later, producing an excellent point-blank stop to keep out León after the forward had broken clear.
Lucky Ndlovu
The contest quickly developed a physical edge to it with challenges flying in across the pitch. Siphesihle Ndlovu was fortunate to escape further punishment after a series of robust tackles, one of which forced Keanu Cupido off with a suspected shoulder injury.
Chiefs capitalised on the disruption and opened the scoring in the 25th minute. A misplaced pass from Ronwen Williams was intercepted by Pule Mmodi in midfield, allowing Mduduzi Shabalala to slip a neat pass through to da Silva, who made no mistake with a composed finish.
The visitors suffered a blow just before the break when Shabalala appeared to injure his shoulder after a challenge from Adams, who was booked for the incident.
Sundowns responded strongly after the restart, with substitute Thapelo Morena making an immediate impact. His delivery from the right found León who finished clinically to bring the hosts level and reignite the contest.
Adams sees red
The momentum, however, shifted again in the 64th minute when Adams received his second yellow card for simulation by referee Luxolo Badu. Chiefs pressed forward in search of a winner, using their numerical advantage to pin the hosts back in the closing stages.
Yet Sundowns showed resilience under pressure, defending resolutely to see out the draw and claim a valuable point in the context of the title race with Sundowns sitting on 65 points.
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Peterson produced yet another excellent save injury time to deny the reigning champions what would have been a last-gasp winner.
