A 10-man Polokwane City held Bidvest Wits to a 0-0 goalless draw while Highlands Park defeated Baroka 2-1 in the Absa Premiership on Tuesday.
The opening minutes of the match got off to a cagey as neither side were able to create any clear-cut opportunities at goal, however, the tempo of the match soon changed when Cuthbert Malajila’s header forced Polokwane goalkeeper George Chigova into making a great save.
However, not long after Malajila’s effort, the visitors found the back of the net when Dillon Sheppard’s free kick was headed in by a diving Bongani Khumalo but the defender was judged to have been offside.
On the stroke of half-time, the home side were dealt a major blow and were reduced to 10 men when Thapelo Tshilo was shown a red card for being involved in a scuffle with Hellings Mhango off the ball.
The Clever Boys should have taken the lead in the 58th minute after Siyabonga Nhlapho’s cross from the right towards Malajila but the forward was denied from close range.
As the Clever Boys searched for the all-important opening goal, coach Gavin Hunt introduced Sifiso Myeni for Elias Pelembe in the 78th minutes.
Wits pushed for a winner in the final 10 minutes of the match, but were unable to bypass the Rise and Shine’s defence, as both sides earned a share of the spoils.
Meanwhile, Highlands Park clinched a 2-1 victory over former National First Division rivals Baroka, who were awarded three penalties in the match at the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa.
The Lions of the North came from a goal down to claim their first three points in the Absa Premiership, with Collins Mbesuma cancelling out an early penalty from the Limpopo side before Charlton Mashumba scored the decisive goal in the second half.
