Golden Arrows missed out on a chance to temporarily move into the top eight as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Marumo Gallants at the Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Arrows remained in tenth place on 29 points, while Gallants gained a valuable point to move to 27 points in their battle to retain their top-flight status.
Heading into the contest, four points separated Gallants and eighth-placed Kaizer Chiefs, while Abafana Bes’thende were not too far off with two points and the added advantage of having two games in hand.
Arrows, still chasing their first top-eight finish in three seasons, began the match as the more dominant side. They came painfully close to opening the scoring when a well-worked passing sequence found Kagiso Maliga free and ready to pull the trigger, but his effort was brilliantly denied by Washington Arubi, who stood tall in goal for the home team.
Riding the momentum of back-to-back league victories, the home side appeared more self-assured than their opponents. Despite the visitors' lively start, it was the hosts who landed the early impactful moments and maintained a composed presence during the opening stages of the match.
The KwaZulu-Natal side made several costly errors, and it didn’t take long for one of them to be punished. Nhlanhla Zwane was caught off guard while attempting to play out from the back, allowing the energetic Masindi Nemtanjela to capitalize on his moment of hesitation.
Nemtangela put himself between the ball and the Arrows defender and intercepted the pass, and the scramble to recover created another golden opportunity for the home team to seize the lead as they won a penalty.
Captain Edgar Manaka stepped up to take on the responsibility, but Edward Maova, standing tall like a fortress, denied him brilliantly to preserve his team’s clean sheet. The save left Gallants coach Abdeslam Ouaddou visibly frustrated on the bench as his side squandered another opportunity.
Their frustration was short-lived, however, as Gallants were eventually rewarded for their relentless pressure. Junior Dion capped off a well-executed move, latching onto a precise pass from Nemtanjela and slotting home a smart finish in the 44th minute, giving the home side a perfect end to the first half.
FULL TIME
— Lamontville Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) April 19, 2025
A share of the spoils this afternoon as we fought back from a goal down at half time to secure the draw at Dr Molemela Stadium@_Marumo Gallants (Dion 43') 1-1 (Sibiya 52'(p)) Lamontville Golden Arrows#SthendeWay #10betGoldenArrows #BetwayPremiership pic.twitter.com/JDn5dtGiUF
The former Sundowns coach would not have been pleased with his team's first-half performance, and the increased intensity after the break suggested a stern halftime talk from the 53-year-old had fired up his players.
Sbonelo Cele made a threatening run down the left flank and, just seven minutes into the second half, earned his side a penalty after being brought down by Khumbulani Ncube inside the area. Nduduzo Sibiya took the responsibility and fired a powerful strike past Arubi, bringing the visitors back on level terms.
Both sides were wasteful with their chances and will feel the win was there for the taking. Their stalemate, however, opens the door for rivals to make up ground, as the season continues to hang in the balance.