The draw, however, is not a good result for second-placed Aces, who slipped five points behind league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who won their mid-week fixture against Chippa United 3-0 on Tuesday night.
While the match at Olen Park ended goalless, it certainly wasn’t short of action. In fact, it was end-to-end stuff for most of this encounter.
Cosmos had the first chance of the match when left back Cheslyn Jampies pulled his shot wide of the right-hand post in the third minute, while the home side’s goalkeeper Sherwyn Naicker did well to deny the league’s leading goalscorer Collins Mbesuma barely a minute later.
Charlton Mashumba has been one of Cosmos’ main attacking threats over the last month, and the striker went close to scoring in the 24th minute after some good individual play.
Aces were awarded a free kick in the 27th minute when Sibisiso Khumalo brought down Lebogang Manyama just outside the area. The ball was sent over by Mbesuma for Mpho Matsi, whose shot was then parried to safety by Naicker.
Cosmos’ Onassis Mntambo missed to the right of the target in the 31st minute, before Aces goalkeeper Shu-Aib Walters denied Mashumba a few minutes later.
Walters then blocked Tebogo Makobela’s effort with his feet in the 36th minute to keep the fixture scoreless.
The second half was just as frenetic, with Makobela missing a chance to the right of the net in the 45th minute, before Aces’ Bryce Moon was denied by Sipho Mngomezulu six minutes later.
Mashumba and Manyama both missed the target in the 57th and 61st minute respectively, as both teams lived dangerously at the back.
Manyama again tested Naicker in the 66th minute after a teasing ball into the area by Bethuel Tukane. However, the Cosmos shot-stopper was again in the right place to stop the ball from crossing the line.
The home side then had a great chance in the 70th minute to take the lead, but Mician Mhone’s shot was blocked Aces defender Ashraf Hendricks.
Both teams had more opportunities to steal the points in the last quarter of the match but, unfortunately, nobody could take advantage of some very average defending on the night.
Source: African News Agency (ANA)
