A penalty by Tapelo Xoki helped Orlando Pirates earn a point after playing out to a 1-1 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The draw sees Sundowns remain at the top of the table with 39 points from 16 games, while Pirates remain in fifth place on the log with 26 points from 17 matches.
The Brazilians came into this encounter hoping to continue their unbeaten run in the DStv Premiership while the Buccaneers looked to end their two-game winless run.
Sundowns had to wait until the 76th minute to open the scoring when Marcelo Allende slotted the ball home into the bottom left corner of the net to make it 1-0.
73′ GOOOOOOALLL! Allende with the opener after Ribeiro wins it back on the edge of the box!#Sundowns #DownsLive #DStvPrem pic.twitter.com/N80kKNmiuX
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) February 17, 2024
Their lead didn’t last long as Pirates drew the game level after the referee pointed to the spot for a foul on Tapelo Xoki inside the box.
⚽️ 78′ (P) XOKIIIIII!!!!!
🥅 @Masandawana 1 – 1 @orlandopirates
⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️#Matchday #DStvPrem#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/NgssoqEBkG
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) February 17, 2024
Xoki stepped up and made no mistake from the penalty spot to secure a point for his side away from home.
Our first game of the year ends with a point earned at home! We march on to the next one!👆
Mamelodi Sundowns (74′ Allende) 1️⃣➖1️⃣ Orlando Pirates (77′ Xoki)#Sundowns #DownsLive #DStvPrem pic.twitter.com/00YZxvU0fq
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) February 17, 2024
Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
