Maritzburg held by Cosmos

Cape Town - Jomo Cosmos claimed their first point of the season after holding Maritzburg United to a goalless draw at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Monday evening.

The home side were almost off to a flyer in the opening minutes when Kurt Lentjies sliced a loose ball across the face of goal, much to the relief of the visiting players.

Just before the 10-minute mark, Sono jnr pounced on a defensive miscommunication, but pulled his rushed shot wide of the mark.

Five minutes later Pentjie Zulu almost put the visitors ahead as he produced a solid strike that bounced off the woodwork.

The Team of Choice were struggling against a determined Cosmos outfit, but captain Ashley Hartog came close in the final minutes of the half before Lentjies flashed another effort across goal.

Fortune Makaringe almost put the hosts ahead straight after the restart, but the midfielder pushed his header just wide of the target.

The urgency of both sides began to pick up as the half progressed and Hartog had a good shot parried away to safety by Sherwyn Naicker in the 76th minute.

Substitute Bamuza Sono responded with a shot of his own, but Virgil Vries was aware and palmed the ball away to keep the scores level.

Mxolisi Macuphu wasted a great chance to put the PSL newcomers ahead in the 77th minute, but his final effort lacked the required venom.

United upped the tempo in the dying moments of the encounter, but David Booysen failed to convert a glorious opportunity with two minutes to go.