After losing two matches in a row, Black Leopards failed to impress their home fans when they shared the glory with Real Kings at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday. They played to a goalless draw.
The home side were lucky not to concede any goals in the first 20 minutes of the game. At that stage, the visitors from Durban were dictating the terms in all departments.
The Leopards' keeper, Adelhbola Aifimi, made his presence felt in the ninth minute. He stretched to the limit to execute a brilliant save. This came after the Kings' overlapping defender, Ephraim Mofokeng, penetrated through the Leopards' wall of defense and unleashed a volley from the 25-meter area.
Lidoda Duvha took the game to the visitors in the last 15 minutes of the first half. Their sharpshooter, Thembisani Nevhulamba, was unlucky in the 34th minute. He beat the offside trap and ran straight to the stranded keeper. Instead of relaxing on the ball and trying other possible ways, Nevhulamba caused an upset by shooting wide from inside the box.
Kings' right winger, Phumelele Bhengu, was booked for a late tackle on Phathutshedzo Nange three minutes before the referee blew the half-time whistle. The Leopards' centre back, Jean Munganga, was reprimanded for obstructing Siphiwe Mbatha in the 55th minute. Leopards introduced Donald Makgetwa for Kagiso Selemela two minutes later.
Real Kings started to play defensive football after realizing that their scoring chances were slim. That prompted the Leopards' head coach, Mr Jean Loscuito, to strengthen the striking force. He replaced Mwape Musonda and Ayanda Masango with Ivan Mahangwahaya and Andiswa Ndawonde respectively. That did not change the complexion of the game as the scoreboard remained blank until the referee blew the final whistle.