Marumo Gallants and Polokwane City Share Spoils in Betway Premiership

Image credits: Marumo Gallants/Facebook

The match between Marumo Gallants and Polokwane City ended in a 0-0 draw at the Dr Molemela Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Polokwane City were the more progressive side during the first 10 minutes of the match and actively searched for an opener early on. The likes of Oswin Appollis and Thato Letshedi were the creators-in-chief for their side as Gallants took a back step in defending their quarters.

At the other end of the pitch, Monde Mphambaniso and Daniel Msendami took the direct approach in an attempt to get their side into the game, and saw their shots from range gone begging. While Gallants saw more of the ball midway through the first-half, Polokwane City were left to deal with a number of nervy moments. The chances kept coming for Gallants as the half came to a close, however, the home side were unable to make the most of their opportunities in the final third. As for Rise and Shine, Mokibelo Ramabu came close to opening the scoring in the 42nd minute after his right-footed effort struck the woodwork.

While Gallants ended the first-half on a high, Polokwane City made their intentions known after the restart. Lebohang Nkaki and Sibusiso Tshabalala created two notable scoring chances shortly before the hour-mark, however, Gallants sat tight in warding off Rise and Shine’s pressure. Marumo played under the cosh for much of the second period and battled to progress the ball up field as a result of Polokwane City’s mounting pressure. The scoreline remained at 0-0 at the end of the match, with both teams missing chances to win. The match statistics were as follows:

• Marumo Gallants 0
• Polokwane City 0

The line-ups for the match were:

• Marumo Gallants: Arubi, Khumalo, Rikhotso, Sikhosana, Mabotja, Msendami, Manaka, Mphambaniso, Mokobodi, Zindoga, Junior Dion
• Polokwane City: Sapunga, Ndlovu, Nkaki, Nikani, Makhubela, Kambala, Maphangule, Appollis, Letshedi, Ramabu, Tshabalala

In another encounter on Sunday, the clash between SuperSport United and Golden Arrows was called off at halftime due to floodlights not working at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria. The PSL will communicate in due course on when the match will be resumed. The two teams were level at 1-1 after the first 45 minutes of the game, with Christian Saile opening the scoring for the hosts and Velemseni Ndwandwe finding the back of the net for Arrows. The current standings are as follows:

• SuperSport United: 20 points from 18 matches
• Golden Arrows: 20 points from 15 matches

The performance of both teams was affected by the abandonment of the match. The outcome of the match will be determined at a later date.

The draw between Marumo Gallants and Polokwane City means that Polokwane City stretch their winless run to four matches in the league, while Marumo Gallants remain winless in their last five league matches. The poor run of form prior to the match on Sunday saw Marumo Gallants part ways with coach Dan Malesela alongside technical director Molefi Ntseki. The team will look to improve their form in the upcoming matches.

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