1-1 draw dents Supersport’s CAF Confederation hopes
Botswana’s defensive export to South Africa, Thatayaone ‘TT’ Ditlhokwe endured mixed fortunes on his return to competitive action this Sunday.
The 21-year-old played the entire 90 minutes as Supersport United were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Bloemfontein Celtic.
The entertaining stalemate effectively ended Supersport’s slim title aspirations, leaving the club 11 points adrift of league leader’s Kaizer Chiefs with just five games left to play (Chiefs also have a game in hand).
More importantly for Supersport, the result means they are now fourth in the table – a point behind Orlando Pirates – and would miss out on qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup as things stand.
It was the Pretoria-based side’s first fixture since the Covid-19 enforced break and a 2-0 win over Highlands Park back on the 8th of March.
Ditlhokwe, who only rejoined his teammates at the start of July missing the first two weeks of training, found himself in the thick of the action from the start, receiving a yellow card for a reckless 15th-minute challenge.
Things got worse for Matsatsantsa-a-Petori just after the half-hour mark when Mzwanele Mahashe gave the visitors the lead.
Although they drew level in the 52nd minute thanks to a stunning free-kick from Teboho Mokoena, Supersport were unable to claim the win they were so desperate for.
With PSL fixtures coming thick and fast, Ditlhokwe and co are back in action on Wednesday when they host relegation-threatened Polokwane City.
Meanwhile, in further local PSL-based players news, Magakolodi Tsotso Ngele was not included in the matchday squad for Black Leopards crucial Sunday outing against Maritzburg United.
Despite the midfielder’s absence, Leopards gave their survival hopes a huge boost, securing an unlikely 3-2 victory against high-flying Maritzburg.
They remain bottom of the table but are now level on points with Polokwane and a point behind both AmaZulu and Baroka.
Finally, 26-year-old left-back, Lesenya Ramoraka was part of the Highlands Park starting XI that took a point off title-chasing Mamelodi Sundowns on Friday. The 1-1 draw is a massive dent to the Brazilian’s championship aspirations and leaves them six points behind Chiefs with a game in hand.