Durban City salvaged a draw from their second derby in a row, fighting back from a goal down to share the spoils with KwaZulu-Natal rivals Richards Bay at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday night.
The Citizens had not found the back of the net in their opening two league matches, and their failure to find a cutting edge was once again evident in the first half.
Veteran Gaston Sirino drove City forward early, producing a delicious cutback from the right that was sent wide. The midfielder also struck the bar with a shot, while Jean Lubumba slashed wildly at the rebound with the goal gaping.
Richards Bay made City pay for that early profligacy, with Aqaba Xulu going straight up the other end after capitalising on a defensive error, twisting inside and out before burying his shot into the roof of the net.
Richards Bay keeper Ian Otieno did well to preserve his team’s lead, getting down smartly to save at Thabo Nodada’s feet after he was played in by the lively Tylo Sanger.
It was not that City were not creating chances; their execution was simply poor. Lubumba and Tashreeq Morris were a threatening presence in the box with their height, and that looked the most likely source of a way back into the contest for Khalil Ben Youssef’s charges.
The Natal Rich Boys remained a threat on the break, however, with an increasingly confident Xulu forcing a save from Fredrick Asare with a neat flick between the legs.
Morris squandered a glorious chance to draw City level, controlling another great cross from Sirino before firing his volley high over the bar from the edge of the box in the 32nd minute. Xulu was a constant menace and was unlucky not to get on the end of a cross flashed across the box.
City were also fortunate to survive a handball appeal in the box.
Ronnie Gabriel would have gone into the break the happier of the two managers, with his side coping comfortably with everything City threw at them and looking capable of adding to their lead.
City failed to make anything of a succession of corners and a free-kick early in the second half, while the removal of Morris at half-time robbed them of some aerial firepower. Their attempt to gain a foothold was also hampered by an inability to retain possession for sustained periods.
A long-range effort from Sanger briefly sparked the home fans into life, while a double save from Asare in the 65th minute kept the Rich Boys in control. At least the Citizens were forcing Otieno into some saves.
Then came a stroke of fortune for City. Luphumlo Sifumba’s cross from the right took a wicked trajectory and was turned into his own net by Thembela Sikhakhane after 69 minutes.
The game was suddenly turned on its head, with City now doing most of the attacking, particularly down the left, although neither side could find a winner. The draw leaves both KZN teams still searching for their first victory of the season.
* Elsewhere in KwaZulu-Natal, AmaZulu continued their impressive start to the campaign with a comfortable 2–0 victory over Siwelele at Kings Park, while Milford FC celebrated a landmark 2–1 win over Kruger United to claim the first Betway Premiership victory in the club’s history.
* The weekend’s headline result came at FNB Stadium, where Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns played out a 1–1 draw in a heavyweight clash, while Sekhukhune United maintained their strong early-season form with a 2–0 victory over Polokwane City in the Limpopo derby.
