PSL Weekend Recap: Chiefs & Sundowns Drop Points

Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs were both forced to settle for a point as two of the early frontrunners endured frustrating outings on Saturday. Neither PSL result was what the two giants wanted, but Sundowns will undoubtedly feel far more relieved about their point than Amakhosi.

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Chiefs looked set to continue their unbeaten start with a victory over Polokwane City before a costly Brandon Petersen error contributed to a 1-1 draw at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium. Later in East London, Sundowns came within minutes of suffering their first league defeat of the season before Antonio van Wyk rescued a 1-1 draw against Chippa United.

Chiefs Let Two Points Slip In Polokwane

Kaizer Chiefs headed to Polokwane with confidence high following their entertaining 3-2 victory over Siwelele and appeared on course for another three points when Lebohang Maboe opened the scoring in the 29th minute.

Pule Mmodi was involved in the build-up before Maboe put Amakhosi ahead, giving the visitors a deserved advantage heading into the break. Chiefs had opportunities to extend that lead, with Etiosa Ighodaro denied by an excellent save from Polokwane goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze’s replacement, Manuel Sapunga Masuluke, early in the second half.

That missed opportunity would prove costly.

Polokwane found their equaliser in the 73rd minute in circumstances Petersen will not want to watch again. Giovanni Philander swung a corner towards the near post and the Chiefs goalkeeper made a mess of his attempted intervention, with the ball ending up across the line for 1-1.

Chiefs pushed for a late winner and substitute Faiz Abrahams came close with an acrobatic attempt in the 88th minute, but Amakhosi ultimately had to settle for a point.

The statistics suggest they will feel they should have taken more from the contest. Chiefs enjoyed 56% possession and registered 15 attempts to Polokwane’s 14, with five shots on target compared with the hosts’ three.

It’s far from a disastrous result. Chiefs remain unbeaten in the league and have shown enough in the opening weeks to suggest they can operate around the upper reaches of the table.

However, these are exactly the matches a team with serious title ambitions needs to turn into victories.

Having taken the lead and had opportunities to make the game safe, Amakhosi will view this as two points dropped rather than one gained.

Van Wyk Rescues Sundowns

If Chiefs left Polokwane disappointed, Sundowns left East London relieved.

The Brazilians arrived at Buffalo City Stadium as overwhelming favourites against a Chippa United side still searching for their first league victory of the season.

Instead, the champions were given an almighty scare.

Chippa frustrated the league leaders before Sirgio Kammies stunned them by beating Ronwen Williams in the 78th minute, putting the Chilli Boys within touching distance of a huge upset.

Sundowns refused to accept defeat.

Deep into stoppage time, Van Wyk capitalised after Chippa goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali failed to properly deal with a cross, scoring the equaliser and salvaging a 1-1 draw for the visitors.

It wasn’t the dominant Sundowns performance supporters have become accustomed to, particularly after their emphatic 3-0 victory over Siwelele just three days earlier.

But there is something to be said for finding a way to avoid defeat when nowhere near your best.

Sundowns had won six of their first seven league matches before Saturday and remain unbeaten. Their early-season form has established them as the team to catch, so even a frustrating draw on the road keeps their momentum moving in the right direction.

Van Wyk’s late intervention could therefore prove more important than it initially appears.

Different Draws, Different Emotions

On paper, the headline is simple: Polokwane City 1-1 Kaizer Chiefs and Chippa United 1-1 Mamelodi Sundowns.

But the emotions surrounding those results couldn’t have been more different.

Chiefs had victory in their hands and allowed it to slip away. They led for more than 40 minutes and had chances to establish a cushion before Petersen’s mistake handed Polokwane a route back into the game.

Sundowns, meanwhile, were staring at defeat before snatching a point at the death.

That distinction matters.

Amakhosi have made an encouraging start to the season, but their challenge now is converting promising performances into victories consistently. The margins become increasingly important when trying to keep pace with a Sundowns team that has dominated South African football for years.

For Sundowns, Saturday demonstrated another quality associated with champions: resilience.

They weren’t at their best. They fell behind late. Yet they still didn’t lose.