Spurs pick up another point on the road
Cape Town Spurs registered their second clean sheet of the season after sharing the spoils with All Stars in a 1-1 draw at the Giant Stadium on Wednesday.
After beating Polokwane City 2-0 at Athlone Stadium last Friday, Shaun Bartlett’s side kept All Stars at bay on a simmering afternoon in Pretoria to extend their unbeaten run in the Motsepe Foundation Championship to three matches.
With the temperature climbing to 32 degrees Celsius at kick-off, the two teams took a while to size one another up and it was the hosts who threatened first in the opening 10 minutes with a shot that failed to trouble Lincoln Vyvers.
We would go closest to breaking the deadlock around the quarter-hour mark when Chumani Butsaka’s cross eluded Therlo Moosa inside the box, but the inform Ashley Cupido arrived in behind him to force a good save out of the goalkeeper.
All Stars created another opening with a ball over the top of our defence and Sabelo Nyembe picked out Justice Figuareido inside the area, but his shot flew wide of the target.
Spurs defended resolutely throughout the contest, although a rare lapse at the back allowed the ball to arrive at the feet of an All Stars attacker, who wasn’t able to beat Vyvers from six yards out.
Route-one football brought us another chance just before half-time as Vyver’s long ball was flicked on by Moosa into the path of Cupido, whose tame effort was easily gathered by the keeper.
Vyvers was called into action again early in the second half when Nyembe latched onto a long ball over the top and cut it back to a team-mate, but his shot was comfortable for our keeper.
Good link-up play from the Urban Warriors soon afterwards presented a chance for Jayden Petersen, who saw his strike deflected just over the crossbar by the defender.
We were just inches away from taking the lead around the 55th-minute mark when Khaya Mfecane’s corner-kick was parried onto the frame of the goal by the keeper and Moosa blazed over on the follow-up.
Moosa should perhaps have done better when Petersen’s cross found him inside the six-yard box on 70 minutes, but the striker’s header went wide of the goal.
Good combination play from Mfecane and Michael Morton on the right flank moments later led to a chance for Butsaka, who failed to hit the target from inside the D.
Spurs saw out a sustained spell of pressure from the home team in the final 15 minutes, with Vyvers pulling off a fine save to keep us in the contest with roughly eight minutes to go.
An unmarked Moosa squandered a great chance to grab the winner soon afterwards when he headed the ball straight at the keeper from a corner, while at the other end Petersen came to Vyvers’ rescue as he deflected the ball off the line after the keeper misjudged a set-piece which went over his head.
Butsaka almost snatched a late winner when he carried the ball all the way from his own area to the opposition box before unleashing a shot that flew inches wide of the post.
The point sees the Urban Warriors sitting 10th in the standings, four points adrift of the promotion places, with a home game next up against NB La Masia on Sunday.
All Stars (0) 0
Cape Town Spurs (0) 0
Cape Town Spurs: L. Vyvers, C. Daniels, L. Brown (K. Mfecane 46′), R. Dortley, C. Stander, M. Nel, J. Moroole (T. Mpame 80′), C. Ryan (J. Petersen 46′), C. Butsaka, A. Cupido (M. Morton 46′), T. Moosa.
