Absa Premiership: Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns PSL

Peter Shalulile of Highlands Park challenges Lebohang Maboe of Mamelodi Sundowns during the Absa Premiership match between Highlands Park and Mamelodi Sundowns at Dobsonville Stadium on August 14, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/Gallo Images/BackpagePix)

Highlands Park 1-1 Mamelodi Sundowns: PSL highlights and results

Peter Shalulile lashed in an early goal for Highlands Park but Mamelodi Sundowns fought back to claim a point in an engaging PSL encounter on Friday.

Absa Premiership: Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns PSL

Peter Shalulile of Highlands Park challenges Lebohang Maboe of Mamelodi Sundowns during the Absa Premiership match between Highlands Park and Mamelodi Sundowns at Dobsonville Stadium on August 14, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/Gallo Images/BackpagePix)

Highlands Park scored early at the Dobsonville Stadium but couldn’t hold on for a PSL upset as Mamelodi Sundowns hit back.

Highlands Park 1-1 Mamelodi Sundowns: PSL match report

Gaston Sirino made a lively start in his first match back after suspension and registered the first shot of the contest inside five minutes.

A cheap foul given away by Tebogo Langerman soon gave Highlands Park their first opportunity of the match from a setpiece.

The Lions of the North showed their hunger as a speculative long range free kick eventually fell to Peter Shalulile who lashed his shot home for his 13th goal of the PSL campaign.

Watch Highlands Park’s Peter Shalulile open the scoring

PSL: Highlands Park 1-1 Mamelodi Sundowns

The goal was the first Highlands Park have registered in three meetings against Sundowns this season.

As you would expect from defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns going behind sparked them into life and waves of blue and yellow came at Tapuwa Kapini’s goal.

Sundowns had trouble getting their shots on target though with multiple efforts from set pieces and open play flying harmlessly out to the relief of Kapini.

Just after the half-hour mark Highlands Park’s veteran defender Bevan Fransman was booked after clattering into Sirino. Pitso Mosimane made his thoughts on the matter known from the touchline.

Sirino was making a nuisance of himself down the flank and his crosses from both setpieces and open play were a constant goal threat.

His ball into Sphelele Mkhulise was inch-perfect and allowed the winger to get enough power on the header to finally beat Kapini and level matters for Sundowns.

Watch: Mkhulise levels the scores for Mamelodi Sundowns

PSL: Highlands Park 1-1 Mamelodi Sundowns

Denis Onyango was tested just before the break but did well to keep out a headed effort from Highlands Park’s Mothobi Mvala who got on the end of an inviting ball from Luckyboy Mokoena.

The team went into the break level after an entertaining is somewhat sloppy first half.

Neither side opted to make any changes at half time and the action came thick and fast after the break.

Highlands Park appeared keen to test the conditioning of a Sundowns side that were playing their third match in eight days showing energy on and off the ball.

Sundowns calmed things down when in possession and their passing showed greater precision than their Gauteng rivals as they sought to unpick Highlands Park’s organised defence.

Themba Zwane was withdrawn for Sundowns in a double change that saw Promise Mkhuma replace the Bafana Bafana winger and Matlala Makgalwa replace Sibusiso Vilakazi just before the hour.

Shalulile gave Sundowns more jittery moments when his headed effort was deflected wide of goal in the 64th minute of the contest.

Langerman was booked for a cynical foul on Mbatha with 24 minutes of regulation time on the clock, it was just the second card shown in a game that was intense but devoid of major incidents of foul play.

Just after the final cooling break, Makgalwa sprung the Highlands Park offside trap but his decision to shoot from a tight angle rather than square for a teammate proved to be the wrong one as he missed the target.

Ricardo Nascimento was the second Sundowns player cautioned bringing down Mbatha as the attacker threatened to get away from him approaching the box. Looking leggy, Nascimento was soon replaced by Wayne Arendse.

Mkhuma was the third Sundowns player booked as the Brazilians grew increasingly desperate to break down the resilient Lions of the North and he earned his first PSL yellow card. 

Onyango made a good save from a long-range effort off the boot of Mokoena, he quickly launched the counter-attack but Makhuala brought down Mkhulise to snuff out the threat. The Highlands Park man picking up a yellow.

Highlands Park created a string of opportunities late in the game but couldn’t craft a quality effort on goal and looked vulnerable to the counter-attack.

In the end, neither side could find a way through, and the points were shared leaving Mamelodi Sundowns three points off PSL leaders Kaizer Chiefs and allowing Highlands Park to leapfrog Golden Arrows into eighth.

Highlands Park will face Chippa United next up in a Tuesday night PSL clash while Mamelodi Sundowns will be pressed into action again on Monday when they take on Cape Town City.