Johannesburg — SuperSport United seem to have kissed their chances of finishing second in the DStv Premiership goodbye after drawing 0-0 with Stellenbosch at home on Tuesday night.
This result was detrimental to SuperSport’s Caf Champions League’s qualifying hopes as they remained third in the league, one point behind the second-placed Orlando Pirates who have a game in hand.
So amid this result, Pirates will be more motivated to win their game in hand against Royal AM on Wednesday as they’d open a four-point cushion in the race for the second-place spot — with two games to spare.
SuperSport, though, will have to win their last two games of the season – including against the third-place chasing Kaizer Chiefs in their penultimate match – and hope that fate decides in their favour.
For Stellies this result was a job well done as they fielded their B-team – resting their regulars for the Nedbank Cup semi-final against Sekhukhune United on Sunday – only to bag an invaluable point.
With Pirates only playing their catch-up game a day later, SuperSport knew that they had to seize the opportunity by moving back to second on the log. But it wasn’t to be.
So much so that by half-time and full-time, the two sides were still deadlocked on 0-0. And that mustn’t have been the result that coach Gavin Hunt had in mind amid the respective starting line-ups.
SuperSport started with their strongest side, with only one change to the team that beat AmaZulu in their last match as Grant Mergeman replaced Thalente Mbatha in the first Xl.
Stellies, who travelled from the Wine-lands to Tshwane with one eye on the semi-final against Sekhukhune, made a whopping nine changes, the first Xl that earned a draw here.
Amid all the hosts of changes that were made by Stellies all eyes were on Reid Bombay who was making first top-flight debut against a side that’s vying for the second place coveted spot.
Bombay, though, will be proud of his team’s defensive work in both the first and second half as they protected him, ensuring that they kept the hosts’ dangerman Bradley Grobler on Bay.
Amid their domination in the first half, SuperSport real scoring opportunities (two) fell to the path of Zambian Gamphani Lungu who failed to hit the target on both attempts.
At first, Jamie Webber set-up up Lungu with a deft backheel outside the box, but the latter hit a long-range volley that only flew into the stands.
In a blink of an eye, Lungu had another chance at goal after a defence splitting pass from Margeman but Lungu hit a shot that sailed wide of the target – even though he had the attention of Bombay.
The young visitors started the second half with more vigour. So much so that they had the first shot on target after Jayden Adams hit a hard and low shot that was parried away by Ricardo Goss in goal.
Margeman had a chance to find the breakthrough for the host after working the angle to create space for himself, but he couldn’t execute his shot to perfection as it rolled wide of the far post.
With 30 minutes to play, though, Stellies, threw in their big guns as Barker made a quartet of substitutions, giving minutes to some of his regulars that are expected to start on Sunday.
🗣️ "If we don't play with the right intensity, we're a very average team. We were way below the races."
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) May 2, 2023
A dejected Gavin Hunt reacts to SuperSport's draw against Stellies in the #DStvPrem. pic.twitter.com/ErSPWq7dm8
Sibongiseni Mthethwa stabilised Stellies’ engine room, while Devon Titus added more numbers and fresh legs into his team’s attacking contingent.
Titus should have made his cameo count after his pinpoint cross found Carlos Ortiz in the box, but the lanky forward saw his goal-bound effort brilliantly parried away for a corner-kick by Goss.
With the clock winding down, Hunt also threw in fresh legs up front, including Thamsanqa Gabuza and Zakhele Lepasa, in search of goals.
But those changes didn’t change the outcome of the game as Matsantsantsa dropped two invaluable points that could have all but ended their hopes of finishing second on the log.
IOL Sport