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Johannesburg (AFP) – South African Premiership surprise team Richards Bay conceded an own goal and missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw at SuperSport United on Sunday that kept them second.
Harold Majadibodu deflected a cross past Ugandan goalkeeper Salim Magoola into his own net eight minutes from time near Pretoria.
Tshepo Mabua then had a chance to put Richards Bay ahead again with a shot from the penalty spot, but he hit the woodwork in a match where a loss would have seen them drop to third place.
Richards Bay had taken the lead on 67 minutes when Sanele Barns took advantage of a defensive oversight to score his third league goal.
Promoted after winning the second-tier championship, Richards Bay have found it difficult to score goals with just 15 in 17 matches, and Barns is the club’s co-leading goalscorer.
But 11 clean sheets helped the club from a coastal city in the eastern province of KwaZulu Natal win eight games, draw six and lose just three.
They have 30 points, 16 less than runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, and two more than third-placed SuperSport.
While Sundowns are on course for their sixth straight title, Richards Bay would also qualify for the 2023-2024 CAF Champions League if they finish runners-up.
After scoring just eight goals in eight previous home games, Orlando Pirates scored four times in 56 minutes to defeat Stellenbosch 4-1 in Soweto.
Thabang Monare sparked the goal fest and captain Innocent Maela, Kermit Erasmus and Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo also scored for the Buccaneers.
Pirates moved up four places to fourth, while Stellenbosch dropped one place and entered the relegation zone as a winless streak stretched to nine games.
On Saturday, Sundowns stretched a winning streak to 12 games when Neo Maema’s lightning strike midway through the first half delivered a 1-0 win in Johannesburg at Kaizer Chiefs.
Chiefs, the most successful club with 54 domestic titles, lost all three games in January without scoring. They are sixth, 22 points behind the leaders.
A day earlier, fifth-placed Sekhukhune United continued a remarkable turnaround under new manager Brandon Truter by beating Swallows 1-0 in Polokwane for their fourth successive win.
© 2023 AFP
