Golden Arrows picked up a slender 1-0 victory over AmaZulu in the KZN derby in the DStv Premiership on Saturday afternoon at the Princess Magogo Stadium.
Having not picked up a win in their previous three league games, Arrows came to the match aiming to get back to winning ways.
Meanwhile, Usuthu were looking to stretch their two-match unbeaten run.
Siyavuya Ndlovu scored the only goal of the match which was enough for Arrows to keep the maximum points at home.
Abafana Bes’thende were electric from the off, looking to hurt the visitors inside the first five minutes. They nearly opened the scoring when Ntsako Makhubela bombed a thumping shot from a distance.
Moments later, the visitors started to play more into Abafana Bes’thende’s box even while producing minimal goal-mouth action. However, it was Arrows who kept on creating more opportunities than Ayanda Dlamini’s men.
In the approach to the hour mark, there was little to separate the two sides as both teams were then struggling to make box entries.
In the 38th minute, Arrows were denied what seemed like a penalty when Mmodi appeared to have been pushed inside the box.
Two minutes before half-time, the hosts had a quick raid when Mmodi drove forward with the ball but his attempt deflected for a corner-kick.
The match reached the interval with a 0-0 scoreline on the board.
Nothing much changed in the second 45 minutes as Arrows came out and continued where they left off, creating more forward movements than AmaZulu.
SIYAVUYA NDLOVU GAVE GOLDEN ARROWS A LEAD
They finally got in front when Siyavuya Ndlovu headed home after Usuthu’s defence failed to clear the lines.
Chasing the game, Bongi Ntuli had a golden chance to level matters however his header just bounced wide of the goal.
Thereafter, Arrows started to have a busy spell at the back as AmaZulu were coming hard seeking an equaliser. At times, Arrows were looking to exploit the space behind when Usuthu went all out in attack.
As many times as they could reach the final third but Dlamini’s men seemed like they didn’t have enough fight.
CAPE TOWN CITY VS RICHARDS BAY
Meanwhile, Cape Town City handed Richards Bay FC a third defeat in a row when they won 2-0 at home with Taariq Fielies and Lorenzo Gordinho scoring for the Citizens.
MARITZBURG UNITED VS STELLENBOSCH
The relegation-threatened Maritzburg United grabbed a 1-0 over Stellenbosch FC to keep their hopes of surviving a chop. Amadou Soukouna scored for the Team of Choice.
RELATED STORY: Arrows interested to sign Pirates loanee permanently
