Cape Town – SuperSport United halted a three-match winless run in the Absa Premiership as they narrowly beat Maritzburg United 1-0 at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams had managed to score just once in their last three league outings and the opening 45 minutes in Nelspruit suggested that would not change as neither goalkeeper was seriously tested.
Most of the attempts before the break came from outside the box, with Deolin Mekoa failing to work Ronwen Williams on four minutes, while Sipho Mbule fired high and wide of the right post seven minutes later.
Williams was called into action on the quarter-hour mark, although Mekoa's strike from 19 yards out on the right went straight to the keeper, who was grateful to see Mohau Mokate direct a header into his arms in the 25th minute.
Richard Ofori was largely untroubled before half-time, but he was thrust into the spotlight on 63 minutes when the hosts were awarded a penalty for Pogiso Sanoka's apparent foul on James Keene inside the area.
Ofori had to take the ball out of the back of the net, however, after being beaten by Aubrey Modiba from 12 yards out.
Fortune Makaringe looked to respond for the visitors with an ambitious volley from 25 yards out that flew well over the bar on 67 minutes after a cross was cleared out to him, while Ofori kept them in the contest with a sharp save to deny Keene from an angle on the left after Sanoka made a hash of his clearance inside the box.
Ofori made a routine save from Modiba's curling free-kick on the right 11 minutes from time, before Mbule threatened with a curler from 21 yards out that went to the right of the goal on 82 minutes.
Matlala Makgalwa almost snatched an equaliser moments later as he collected the ball in midfield and drove at the defence, but his low strike flew just inches wide of the right post with Williams rooted to the spot.
