Mailula Comes Off The Bench To Deny Chiefs Victory
Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns played to a tense 1-1 draw in their Betway Premiership encounter at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with the two sides sharing the points.
The first half ended goalless, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances and break the deadlock. However, the game opened up after the interval, with both sides finding the back of the net.
Langelihle Phili opened the scoring for Amakhosi, netting his first goal for the club since joining from Stellenbosch. His strike put Chiefs ahead and appeared to have them on course for a third consecutive league victory.
Sundowns, however, responded through Cassius Mailula, who came on as a second-half substitute. Mailula scored the equaliser in the 75th minute to secure a point for the defending champions.
The result means Chiefs’ long wait for a league victory over Sundowns continues.
The last time Amakhosi defeated Sundowns in a league match was on 25 April 2021. Chiefs won 2-1 on that occasion, with Gaston Sirino opening the scoring for Sundowns before Mosa Lebusa put the ball into his own net. Dumisani Zuma then scored the winning goal for Amakhosi.
Since that victory, Sundowns have dominated the league meetings between the two sides.
Last season, the teams also played out two draws. Their first meeting at FNB Stadium ended goalless, while the second-round encounter at Loftus Versfeld Stadium finished 1-1.
Chiefs came into Saturday’s match looking to make it three wins from three league games after victories over Kruger United and Sekhukhune United. Those results had seen Fernando Da Cruz’s side move to the top of the Betway Premiership standings.
Sundowns, meanwhile, were looking to make it two wins from two in the league after starting their campaign with a victory over TS Galaxy in midweek.
Following the draw, Da Cruz’s side remain at the top of the Betway Premiership table with seven points. They are level on points with AmaZulu, who also secured a victory over Siwelele on Saturday.
Sundowns, meanwhile, sit in sixth place with four points.
Chiefs will return to action on 26 August when they travel to Durban to face Richards Bay in another league encounter. Amakhosi will be hoping to return to winning ways and maintain their strong start to the campaign.
Sundowns will be back in action on Wednesday when they face Marumo Gallants in a catch-up match. The fixture was originally scheduled for 1 August but was postponed.
