SuperSport go top, Downs in shock loss

Football | Absa Premiership

 SuperSport United returned to the top of the South African Premiership table on Sunday after surviving an incredible missed scoring chance by Bloemfontein Celtic.
The teams drew 1-1 at Atteridgeville near Pretoria, enabling United to join Moroka Swallows on 15 points and claim first place on goal difference.
But it took an early candidate for 'miss of the season' to save SuperSport from a shock home loss against bottom-half Celtic.

A cross to the far post was headed back into the path of Malawian Hellings 'Gabadinho' Mhango, who blazed over when scoring seemed easier.
Embarrassed Mhango sunk on the turf with his hands covering his face while coach Ernst Middendorp confessed he was amazed by the miss. "It is the final seconds of stoppage time – so put the ball in the net," the furious German who recently moved to Celtic from Maritzburg United told reporters.
"We got a point, but if feels like a defeat as we should have been three goals ahead by halftime instead of one."
It was a bad day for Celtic sharp-shooters with Lerato Manzini fluffing a couple of first-half sitters before Musa Nyatama scored on 40 minutes.
Nyatama burst past two SuperSport defenders, latched on to a superb through ball, and rounded goalkeeper Ronwen Williams before scoring.

Cameroonian goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb made a spectacular second half save to keep Celtic ahead, but could not prevent Senegalese Mame Niang levelling off a late penalty.
"We were slow out of the blocks again," admitted SuperSport coach Cavin Johnson, "but played some good football and could have taken all three points."

SuperSport and Swallows are one point ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, who conceded an own goal to suffer a shock 1-0 loss at promoted Polokwane City Saturday.
Wits University climbed to fourth – three points behind the front-runners after eight rounds – with a clinical 2-0 win at traditionally hard-to-beat hosts Free State Stars.

Matthew Pattison and Sibusiso Vilakazi netted during the second half of a match constantly disrupted by fouls from both sides in central town Bethlehem.
Durban outfit AmaZulu finished a disastrous week by slumping 2-0 at home against Maritzburg United in a KwaZulu-Natal derby.

After conceding seven goals at Sundowns in midweek, they fell behind when Marc van Heerden diverted an off-target shot from Ghanaian Yakubu Mohammed into his own net. Maritzburg doubled the advantage on the hour as Ryan de Jongh created a chance for Thokozani Sekotlong to beat Zimbabwe goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini.