Chippa United 1-1 Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila: Vhadau Vha Damani fight back to hold Chilli Boys

Chippa United and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila drew 1-1 in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match which was played on Sunday afternoon.

Augustine Chidi Kwem opened the scoring for the Chilli Boys, who dominated the first half, but the visitors restored parity after the restart through Thabo Rakhale. 

The Chilli Boys were looking to bounce back to winning ways after succumbing to a 2-0 defeat to Stellenbosch FC last weekend.

Coach Lehlohonolo Seema's side was without club captain Veli Mothwa, who has reportedly left Chippa for AmaZulu FC and he was replaced by Mlungisi Mazibuko in goal.

On the other hand, Vhadau Vha Damani were hoping to make it two victories in a row after recording their first-ever win in the PSL when they edged Baroka FC 1-0 last weekend.

Seema's counterpart, Joel Masutha opted to name an unchanged team with Justin Shonga, who came off the bench to score against Baroka, named among the substitutes.

The Chilli Boys controlled the match from the start with Peter Maloisane dictating the pace of the game from the middle of the park.

The diminutive midfield general found himself unmarked on the edge of the box and he unleashed a powerful low shot which was well-saved by Washington Arubi in the Tshakhuma goal-posts.

The Tshakhuma defence was struggling to deal with crosses which were played into the box and Sandile Mthethwa's header was brilliantly saved by Arubi on the goal-line.

Pressure mounted on Vhadau Vha Damani and the deadlock was broken five minutes before the half-hour mark and towering defender Mthethwa was involved.

The Orlando Pirates loanee set-up Augustine Chidi Kwem, who tapped home to make it 1-0 to Chippa as the hosts' hard work and pressure finally paid off.

However, the hosts took their foot off the pedal and this allowed Tshakhuma to launch attacks as they looked to restore parity.

Chippa were able to contain the visitors and the score was 1-0 at half-time. 

Tshakhuma were the better side after the restart and they grabbed an equalizing goal just five minutes into the second-half through Thabo Rakhale.

The home side failed to clear their lines and Rakhale pounced onto a loose ball and beat Mazibuko with a well-taken shot to make it 1-1 for the visitors.

However, Vhadau Vha Damani suffered a blow as they were reduced to 10 players after Meshack Mphangule was sent-off after receiving his second yellow card of the match.

Seema reacted by introducing Cameroonian centre forward Bienvenu Eva Nga, who scored the first hat-trick of the season when he netted three times against Maritzburg United earlier this month.

The Chilli Boys pushed for the winning goal, but the visitors, who were numerically disadvantaged, sat back and defended too deep in the closing stages of the match as they looked to hold out for a draw. 

Tshakhuma stood firm at the back with Alfred Ndengane working tirelessly in defence and ultimately, the encounter ended in a 1-1 draw with the two teams sharing the spoils.

The draw left Tshakhuma and Chippa placed ninth and 11th respectively on the league standings.

Both teams will be in action next weekend with Chippa facing Baroka FC on December 6, while Tshakhuma are scheduled to take on AmaZulu FC on December 5.