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Cape thriller ends all square

Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs were unable to pick up maximum points at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday afternoon, having to settle for a 2-2 draw against Santos from an action-packed Absa Premiership encounter.

The first half saw Chiefs doing most of the attacking. With the bulk of the support behind them, it was more like a home game for the Soweto giants - apart from the windy conditions that is.

There was only one side in the game early on and the first chances fell to Chiefs as Knowledge Musona and Reneilwe Letsholonyane had shots from range, both of them over the bar.

There was however a rather lucky escape for Ithumeleng Khune when he raced all of 4 metres out to win the ball and was nearly caught out by Vuyisile Wana.

Then in the 11th minute there were two close escapes for the Peoples' Team as first Tshepo Motsonoeng got fingertips to the ball to stop Kaizer Motaung Junior's lob from going in, before also making an excellent block from Tenashe Nengomashe's stinging shot.

Somehow, thoug, it was Santos h that scored first, against the run of play.

Wana was the scorer, netting in the 23rd minute, having done superbly to take the ball round Khune and slot it into an empty net after a killer through ball from Salmaan King.

The AmaKhosi equaliser came via the penalty spot, Musona sending Motsonoeng the wrong way in the 38th minute to make it 1-1.

The penalty was awarded after a clumsy trip on a marauding Jimmy Tau by Ricardo Skippers.

Despite Chiefs dominating the remainder of the half, the score was 1-1 at the break.

But three minutes after the restart, when Siphiwe Tshabalala's free kick found Motaung's head, it looked like AmaKhosi would go ahead, but Motsonoeng made a top-drawer save to tip the ball away from goal.

And within minutes it was Santos who went ahead, with a 52nd minute goal almost out of nothing as Jurie Basie, unmarked, nodded home Skippers' hopeful ball into the box.

The game remained open with chances for both sides, before AmaKhosi found a 75th minute equaliser. Sthembiso Ngcobo's first touch after coming off the bench saw him heading home Tshabalala's cross from the left.

With the crowd alive, Chiefs pushed hard in the closing moments for a winner, but had to settle for a point from a highly entertaining Absa Premiership game.

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