ABSA PREMIERSHIP New season off to a cracking start

The first round of the 2018/19 Absa Premiership wrapped up on Sunday, with Bloemfontein Celtic and Golden Arrows claiming 2-0 wins to bring to an end a fine first weekend of football in South Africa’s top flight.

The season kicked off with a marquee clash between defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The two heavyweights cancelled each other out and drew 1-1, with Ramahlwe Mphahlele’s early goal and Ricardo Nascimento’s penalty ensuring the spoils were shared.

The early evening games featured three home wins, as Bidvest Wits crushed Free State Stars 3-0 in Johannesburg, Cape Town City defeated SuperSport United 2-0 to see Kaitano Tembo’s reign as permanent coach of Matsatsantsa get off to a losing start, and Black Leopards marked their return to the top flight with a win over regional rivals Polokwane City, thanks to a lone goal from Karabo Tshepe.

The night games featured an early contender for blunder of the season, as Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands allowed a simple back-pass from Gladwin Shitolo to get the better of him and hand Highlands Park a 1-1 draw at Orlando Stadium despite having zero shots on target, while AmaZulu edged Baroka FC 1-0 in Durban.

Sunday’s matches featured a brilliant goal for Knox Mutizwa to inspire a 2-0 away win for Golden Arrows over Maritzburg United in a KwaZulu-Natal derby, while Steve Komphela’s reign as Bloemfontein Celtic coach got off to a great start as his side trumped Chippa United 2-0 at the Dr Molemela Stadium.

The second round of Absa Premiership matches will take place this coming midweek, with the eight matches spread across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The pick of the clashes is Tuesday’s meeting of Kaizer Chiefs and Bidvest Wits at the FNB Stadium.

ABSA PREMIERSHIP RESULTS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4

Mamelodi Sundowns 1-1 Kaizer Chiefs
Bidvest Wits 3-0 Free State Stars
Cape Town City 2-0 SuperSport United
Black Leopards 1-0 Polokwane City
Orlando Pirates 1-1 Highlands Park
AmaZulu 1-0 Baroka

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5

Bloemfontein Celtic 2-0 Chippa United
Maritzburg United 0-2 Golden Arrows

SOURCE:

SUPERSPORT