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Cape Town - Golden Arrows were held to a 1-1 draw by Polokwane City in Absa Premiership action at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.
Knox Mutizwa gave Arrows the lead in the opening ten minutes but they were pegged back by City substitute Mohammed Anas' 70th-minute equaliser.
Arrows sneaked in to eighth position with the point, while City climbed out of bottom spot above AmaZulu.
The sides were feeling each other out in the opening exchanges with neither team wanting to take too many risks.
Arrows took an eighth minute lead. Mtshali played the diagonal out to the right to Siyabonga Dube, who side-footed the ball on the volley in to the box and Mutizwa's header was saved by George Chigova but the Zimbabwean got to the rebound first and headed home.
City responded three minutes later when a wayward back pass was intercepted by Charlton Mashumba, but he fired wide of the left-hand upright after being put under pressure by Nkosinathi Sibisi.
Jabulani Maluleke almost equalised for the hosts with a quarter of an hour gone. Sibisi went in to the book after bringing down Mashumba on the edge of the box and Maluleke curled the resulting free-kick just wide of the right-hand upright.
Kabelo Mahlasela had an opportunity to mark his Rise and Shine debut with a goal when Maluleke intelligently played him in, but the on-loan Kaizer Chiefs midfielder ballooned his effort over the bar from close range.
Polokwane were piling on the pressure and in the 25th minute, Themba Chauke brought a fantastic save out of Sifiso Mlungwana with a stinging volley from outside the box which had the Arrows keeper diving spectacularly to his right to keep out.
Abafana Bes'thende had an opportunity on the stroke of half-time. Mtshali played in Mutizwa, who squared the ball for Lerato Lamola, but his left-footed effort went wide of the near post wrhen he should have gone for the far post.
Three minutes after the interval, Dube swung in a superb delivery from the right-hand side in behind the City defence but Mutizwa could not get on the end of it at the back post with the ball going harmlessly behind for a goal-kick.
In the 56th minute, Rise and Shine won a corner with the ball being headed out to the edge of the box but Salulani Phiri leant back on his effort and it went sailing in to the stands.
Mutizwa turned creator once again with a beautiful release for Lamola in the 68th minute, but the Abafana Bes'thende striker's effort was saved by the legs of Chigova.
City equalised in the 70th minute. Chauke tested Mlungwana with another fierce long-range effort and the Arrows keeper couldn't hold on to it with the rebound falling to subsitute Mohammed Anas, who thundered the ball home emphatically.
Arrows substitute Thabani Zuke forced Chigova in to action with a couple of minutes of regular time to go and Mutizwa struck the woodwork with a free-kick in injury time but Steve Komphela's side would have to settle for a share of the spoils.
- TEAMTalk
Channel 202
